Walk It Off
by Neuroscpr
Summary: Aeryn flees Moya with Chiana, Talyn, and a retrieval squad all in pursuit. 12 Chapters - Complete
1. Default Chapter

She'd been trained to go long periods without sleep. Somehow, that fact didn't enter into the  
current equation. Aeryn heard the cell door slam shut behind her and she dropped. Escape,  
though, was still on her mind. The ex-peacekeeper turned around and was relieved to see that  
Crichton had pulled the privacy curtain. Sitting with her legs stretched out in front of her, Aeryn  
tried to relax. 'No chance of that happening.'  
  
Aeryn closed her eyes and replayed the scene as it had just happened. Despite her doubts, she'd  
actually gone through with it. The guilt and pain inside had been just enough to help her utter the  
words. "I'm leaving."  
  
The sound of footsteps from down the corridor put her on alert. Someone was coming. Aeryn  
didn't want to deal with all the question. She hadn't even planned on saying goodbye. But  
movement seemed impossible at the moment. Everything from the top of her head on down felt  
numb. Not even being a peacekeeper felt like this.  
  
"John? That you?" Chiana slipped inconspicuously into the ex-peacekeeper's line of sight and  
then stopped abruptly. Obviously, she hadn't expected Aeryn to be sitting outside the human's  
room. Frell, anything seemed more likely at the moment. "Hey Aeryn."  
  
She looked up at the Nebari but said nothing. Aeryn found herself seeing the girl through a  
different set of eyes. It was the same old Chiana. Slender, with that annoying curve at the edges  
of her lips. But something else caught her attention. It was the look on Chiana's face. One  
slightly more mature but uncertain as to what that meant. Aeryn wondered how D'Argo saw his  
almost fiancé.   
  
Chiana didn't seem to get the point of Aeryn's silence and sat down across from her. She gave a  
strange half-smile before saying anything. "What are you doing here?"  
  
Aeryn let her gaze rise from the floor and meet the Nebari's. "Nothing."  
  
"Nothing huh?" Chiana licked her lips and slid down a little further. "I guess you won't mind if I  
join you then."  
  
The ex-peacekeeper sighed. She wasn't going to have this conversation. Even if that meant using  
her pulse pistol. 'I'm kidding, right?' Aeryn gritted her teeth as she forced herself up.   
Apparently the strength was there after all. "Do what you want. I don't care."  
  
She hadn't expected anything more from Aeryn. Certainly not tears. Chiana noticed that the  
Sebacean's sad face hardened when she got there. "Nothing changes."  
  
Aeryn was already on her way down the hall when she heard the whispered words. 'I suppose  
not.' For some reason she couldn't make out, she waited.  
  
Chiana stood up and faced the solemn woman. She took a breath and drew it out. "We're not  
friends are we Aeryn?"  
  
Aeryn felt her mouth drop open a little although she couldn't be sure. Her thoughts were busy  
elsewhere. "No, we're not."  
  
The Nebari nodded slightly and then forced a smile. "I didn't think so." Chiana stood there and  
waited for the other woman to leave. Aeryn never responded as she made her way down the  
corridor. That was that.  
  
  
  
Two leviathans floated quietly together in space. The young son floated just above his mother as  
they floated aimlessly. Nowhere to go at the moment. Inside Talyn, Bialar Crais sat with his feet  
propped up on a console. He wasn't used to being idle like this but there was honestly nothing to  
do. His gun ship was getting better by the day and DRD's were putting on the finishing touches.   
  
A signal came in through his transponder. He could both feel and see what was happening. The  
hangar doors had opened and a transport pod was heading for bay 3. Talyn's sensors only picked  
up one passenger. Crais sighed. "Aeryn Sun."  
  
He stood up and walked over to the forward portal. It looked out on a quiet scene except for the  
gigantic vessel that flew beside his own. Crais initiated the comms system. "Pilot, are you  
there?"  
  
There was a moment of silence before an answer came. "Yes Crais. Where else would I be?"   
The creature's voice sounded tired. Worrying had taken its toll, no doubt.  
  
"Are you aware that one of you crew is missing?" The question seemed silly to him. There  
probably wasn't much that Pilot wasn't aware of. Whether Moya's inhabitants realized it or not.  
  
"Officer Sun left Moya's hangar a few microts ago. She did not inform me of her destination."   
Pilot's image appeared on the portal screen. He looked tired as well. "Is she there?"  
  
Crais heard the doors to command slide open. "Yes Pilot. Thank you." He cut the transmission  
and turned around to meet his guest. If that was in fact what she was.  
  
Aeryn was dressed as if she were preparing for battle. Her long leather overcoat concealed the  
pulse weapons she had brought with her. The ex-peacekeeper's hair seemed even tighter than  
usual in that braid. "Hello Crais."  
  
The ex-captain smiled and nodded to her. "To what do I owe this visit Aeryn?" He suddenly felt  
ashamed of himself. Or maybe that was Talyn picking up on his feelings. There had to be a  
reason why images of a dead Crichton were flashing in his mind. Crais took a deep breath.   
  
"I came to say goodbye. To both you and Talyn." Aeryn's face was locked in an emotionless  
stare. She didn't even look her former superior in the eye. "I'm leaving."  
  
Bialar was taken aback by the statement. He could feel Talyn's shock as well. It was not doing  
wonders for his physical condition. "I don't understand. We're supposed to help Crichton-."  
  
Aeryn raised a hand to stop his outburst but did not say anything. Once he stopped talking, she  
walked past him and to the center of the room. Talyn's neural center sat above her on the ceiling.   
Its familiar red glow casting shadows on her white face.  
  
"When are you coming back?" It was the only question that Crais could pull out of the multitude  
in his head. Both Talyn's and his actually.   
  
She lifted her hand and ran it across the circle's smooth surface. Aeryn could feel Talyn  
protesting. Could hear his cries inside her own head. None of it did any good. The leviathan  
hybrid soon realized this and kept quiet. Crais's voice entered into the mix. "I don't know. How  
long can someone's hate last?"  
  
Crais was already confused. Her words didn't help the situation any. Before he could force  
something out of his mouth, Aeryn lowered her head and walked out of the room. The ex-captain  
didn't need to ask where she was headed. Talyn had already prepped the transport pod for  
departure.  
  
  
  
It seemed fitting that he'd been led here of all places. John stepped onto the terrace and took in  
the awe-inspiring sight that came with the place. Standing in the middle of the room, Aeryn  
smiled at him reassuringly. The human blinked his eyes. It was actually D'Argo. The Luxan  
wasn't smiling.  
  
"You've heard?" D'Argo looked over at John and sighed. The human's tortured face awakened  
his own feelings. Not sadness and certainly not pity. Well, not for Aeryn anyways. Her  
mourning privileges had expired in his opinion.  
  
John tried to smile but it came out more like a half-hearted smirk. "Yeah, she told me." He  
walked over to stand beside his friend. They both turned their gazes to the stars outside. Talyn  
was right where he had been before. Apparently, Aeryn had gone there before leaving.  
  
D'Argo looked past the gun ship and spotted a small planet off in the distance. According to  
Pilot, the ex-peacekeeper couldn't get any further away. At least not with the fuel she'd taken. "I  
think it might be time to consider giving up."  
  
The human felt the knot in his stomach tighten. It was something he'd considered many times.   
John had never expected that decision to be thrust upon him strongly. "Maybe."  
  
  
The room was bustling with shady-looking types but only a select few sat at the actual bar. A  
layer of cough-inducing smoke had settled above the customers and gave the place a certain  
atmosphere. One of the people sitting at the bar had drawn a bit of attention. She was dressed in  
leather and looked about as amiable as a Scarren.  
  
"You want another one of those?" The bartender, called Olaf by those who knew him well  
enough, stopped in front of Aeryn. He eyed the empty bottle of raslak and grasped another below  
the bar. Olaf liked thirsty customers.  
  
Aeryn forced herself out of the liquor-induced daydream and looked up at the bartender. She  
scowled at him and slammed another bill down on the bar. "Give me two."  
  
Olaf smiled back at her and lifted two bottles out from under the bar. Suddenly something caught  
his eye. The female in front of him was seriously armed. He spotted what looked like a pulse rifle  
under her coat. "You're a peacekeeper?"  
  
At the sound of that word, all noise came to a halt. Every conversation stopped and attention was  
turned to the new situation. Noticing this, Aeryn turned around and took a look around the  
room. The sight was not encouraging. "Not anymore."  
  
Retracting the bottles, Olaf narrowed his eyes. "Not anymore? What the frell does that mean?"   
He spotted a few men coming forward and motioned for them to hold off.  
  
"Exactly what it sounds like. I'm not a peacekeeper anymore." Aeryn reached for one of the  
bottles but missed it. Something inside her screamed. Possibly her training telling her to see the  
situation for what it was. All of a sudden, Aeryn felt sober.  
  
A nasty looking fellow with furry red skin walked up to the bar. He looked from Olaf to Aeryn  
and grinned maliciously. "But you were a peacekeeper."  
  
Aeryn lifted her pulse pistol out of its holster and placed it in front of her. "Is there a problem?"  
  
The man looked questioningly at Olaf. They eyed each other for a moment and then the bartender  
nodded. He knelt down behind the bar without another word. The lights went out.  
  
"Oh frell." Aeryn dove off her stool and hit the ground hard. The area above her lit up with pulse  
blasts from somewhere to the right. She could hear footsteps beside her.   
  
"I can see you." The red man reached down to grab her when he felt something cold press  
against his him.  
  
"I can see you too." Aeryn fired several times and felt something warm splash against her face.   
"Wonderful!" She stood up and started firing into the darkness. Shouts of anger and pain echoed  
back at her along with returned shots.   
  
Olaf growled angrily as precious liquid cascaded down on top of him. "I said not the bar!" He  
pulled his own weapon out and stood up. There was nothing in front of him but the peacekeeper  
woman. "Get out of the way!"  
  
Aeryn obeyed and threw herself towards the door. She heard a loud explosion rocketed from the  
object in Olaf's hands. He laughed hysterically as his own establishment went up in flames. The  
ex-peacekeeper reached the door and pushed it open. Light poured in and illuminated the scene  
behind her. "Idiots." The pieces of dren were fighting each other now. Aeryn stepped through  
the doorway.  
  
"Freeze!" An angry looking man dressed all in black stood in front of her. The gun in his hands  
almost touched the end of Aeryn's nose. She mistook him for a peacekeeper at first but soon  
changed her mind. Certain parts of his anatomy didn't match up.  
  
Aeryn dropped her pulse pistol. She recognized the uniform now. He was some sort of police  
official. "I don't want any trouble. Just let me go." The Sebacean breathed a sigh of relief as he  
started to lower his gun.  
  
"Aeryn! Watch out!" The familiar sounding voice was followed immediately by the sound of a  
gunshot. The police officer crumpled to the ground. He was dead.  
  
Chiana ran up to Aeryn and grinned happily. "Whew! That was close." She looked up at her  
companion and noticed the cold stare. "What?"  
  
Aeryn lunged forward and grabbed Chiana by the collar of her coat. She lifted the Nebari up and  
pushed her against the wall. "You frelling trelk! He wasn't going to kill me."  
  
Chiana shrugged. "Hey, I'm sorry, alright? I thought he was." The younger woman was now  
annoyed. Frell, she couldn't do anything right when it came to Aeryn.  
  
The ex-peacekeeper tried to contain her anger. It wasn't working. Something else came to her  
attention. The sound of pulse weapons charging. Aeryn dropped Chiana and turned around.   
Apparently, the dead man had friends. "Frell."  
  
  
  
The prison cell stunk even worse than the bar. Aeryn pushed herself further up against the wall  
and tried to breath only through her mouth. She let her eyes run across the room and take in the  
group of men sitting in front of her. They were the same ones she had escaped from in the bar.   
Thankfully, they hadn't noticed her yet.  
  
The young woman beside her took a deep breath. Chiana had managed to fall asleep since they  
had been locked away. She opened her eyes now and looked at the ex-peacekeeper beside her.   
"Anything yet?"  
  
Aeryn turned her head towards the Nebari and then shook it. "No word." It amazed her how  
cruel life could be sometimes. After all she had been through, Chiana was the one who decided to  
come after her. She would have preferred Rygel at this point.  
  
Chiana sat up and stretched her arms and legs. Feeling better, she pushed herself a little closer to  
Aeryn. "Don't worry. I have a plan."  
  
Aeryn's eyes widened. She couldn't wait to hear what the girl had to say. Surprisingly though,  
Chiana didn't say a word. The Nebari simply pulled a small object from her pocket. It was a  
comm. "How is that going to help us?"  
  
Before either of them could say something, the cell doors slid open. An officer walked into the  
dark room and raised his weapon. It was big and crushed any thought of escape. He appeared to  
be searching for something. The man stopped when his eyes met Chiana's. "Nebari! You have a  
visitor."  
  
  
  
John rubbed his hands together as he waited for Chiana to be brought in. He had tried to hold his  
breath against the horrible smell but that quickly proved impossible. Hopefully, it would wash out  
of his clothes after a few runs in the spin cycle.  
  
On the other side of the thin partition that sat in front of him, a door opened and revealed the  
long-awaited Nebari. Her hair looked like it had survived a tornado. Chiana brushed some of the  
dirt off her coat and sat down. She smiled at John. "About time you got here."  
  
The human returned her smile. "Are you alright? Is....she alright?" John looked past her and  
through the open doorway. It was pitch black inside. He wondered if Aeryn knew he was there.  
  
"Aeryn's a little banged up. Not that she'll admit it." Chiana shook her head and then spotted the  
look in John's eyes. The old man didn't look good. "I didn't tell her you were coming."  
  
John didn't respond to her last comment. He just stared woefully and waited for Chiana to say  
something. He considered having Aeryn sent out next. Probably not a good idea.  
  
"Listen John, change of plans." Chiana motioned towards the money bag that he had hidden  
under his vest. Sitting in the cell, she'd gotten a great idea. Well, it seemed that way at the time.   
  
John looked around to make sure no one was looking and pulled the bag out. "What change of  
plans? Don't get cute with me pip."  
  
Chiana grinned. She waited until all the guards were occupied elsewhere and then grabbed the  
money bag. "Aeryn isn't going to come back with you. You know that." The Nebari waited for  
him to figure things out. John didn't say anything. "So we're gonna stick around, see how things  
go."  
  
  
He got what she was trying to say. "Pip, I don't think Aeryn's going to want you tagging along."   
John leaned back in his chair. Somehow the idea of Chiana going made him feel better. Not that  
he was going to say that.  
  
"Well, I'm not giving her a choice." Chiana tucked the money under her coat and stood to leave.   
She turned one last time to look John in the eye. His communicated so much more than Aeryn's.   
"Bye Crichton."  
  
John watched her go in silence. He wasn't sure what to make of what had just happened. Time  
would have to tell on that one. 'Bye pip.'  
  
  
  
Aeryn heard the cell doors slide open but refused to look up. She knew who was going to be  
there. The frelling human here to save the day. The ex-peacekeeper swore to herself. 'I won't  
go. I can't.' Aeryn cursed and looked up. Her resolve wasn't what it used to be.   
  
The scene wasn't exactly what she had imagined. Chiana was standing alone in the doorway with  
her hands on her hips. The Nebari looked over at her and smiled. Aeryn sighed and watched as  
the younger woman walked over to her.  
  
"New plan." Chiana sat down beside her new best friends and tried to find a comfortable  
position. She didn't seem to notice the stares coming from all the men in the room.  
  
Aeryn didn't like what she was hearing. "New plan? I thought you were leaving." She felt a  
horrible sinking feeling in her stomach. "No!"  
  
The shout got the attention of all the other men in the room. Including the ones that Aeryn had  
been trying to avoid. Another one of the red creatures stood up and pointed at her. "You're that  
frelling peacekeeper!"  
  
Aeryn stood up and reached for her pulse pistol. It wasn't there. "Thank you very much  
Chiana."  
  
The Nebari came up beside her, a determined look spread across her face. Chiana straightened  
up. "Don't worry, I've got your back."  
  
Aeryn turned slightly but kept her eye on the challenger. "That's what I'm afraid of." 


	2. chapter 2

Maybe that frelling clone was right. She had hesitated hadn't she? The red brute wasn't that big  
and she was used to fighting tougher foes. Everything was a mess. Aeryn opened her eyes and  
felt tiny pricks against her skin. The asphalt her head lay on was digging into her. 'What just  
happened?' It took a moment for her eyesight to clear up. There was a pool of blood beside her.  
  
"You have no idea how long I've been waiting to do this." The man lifted his pulse rifle and fired  
several shots. He smiled as the red creature collapsed to the ground and died. Jezik holstered his  
weapon and looked around. He spotted the Nebari. "Is your friend alright?"  
  
Chiana, her eyes still wide with surprise, nodded slowly. She threw the heavy body off of her and  
stood up. "Who the frell are you?" She momentarily forgot about the ex-peacekeeper lying at  
her feet.  
  
"My name is Jezik. I'm the warden." He walked over to her and smiled. "You're tougher than  
you look little girl." There didn't appear to be any injuries.  
  
She scowled at him. "I'm not a little girl." Chiana felt her boot touch something and she  
immediately looked down. "Frell, Aeryn!" She knelt down and looked into the Sebacean's  
vacant eyes. "You ok?"  
  
It took her a moment to realize that the blood was not coming from her head. Aeryn blinked and  
then looked up at the Nebari. "What happened to having my back?" Her voice came out weaker  
than she expected. It hadn't been that hard a blow.  
  
"Hey, you're the one who was moaning about me being here in the first place. Don't try blaming  
me now." Chiana extended a hand to her and smiled. She liked being the one still standing after  
the battle. Especially when Aeryn was watching.  
  
Jezik stared at the two women with an awkward sense of amusement. He didn't know anything  
about the Nebari but Aeryn Sun was a familiar name. Perhaps the stories he'd heard had been  
exaggerated after all. "I hate to interrupt, but.."  
  
Chiana and Aeryn both looked up at him. The ex-peacekeeper was the first to speak. "You saved  
us? Why?" That familiar feeling of suspicion was always there no matter what she did. Aeryn  
stood up and wiped the dirt off her clothes. There was a bit of blood coming from the gash on  
her cheek but not much else.  
  
"We don't get too many Sebaceans around here. Stirs the local population up. I'd been  
watching." He started to change his mind. There was a certain look in her eyes that he  
recognized. Jezik felt like he was being scanned. "I don't suppose you want to thank me."  
  
Chiana put herself in between the two soldiers. "We do. Don't we Aeryn?" She started to  
glance back but quickly changed her mind. "You gonna let us go too?"  
  
Aeryn looked down at Chiana and sighed. She thought about all her excursions with Crichton in  
the past. He wasn't looking like such an idiot now. 'Don't do that!' The ex-peacekeeper finally  
made full eye contact with Jezik. "Thank you."  
  
Jezik was suddenly aware of his surroundings. Besides the three of them, the rest of the room  
was littered with fallen bodies. The guard reached down and touched his pulse rifle. He couldn't  
possibly have hit all of them. "You, Nebari. Are you carrying a weapon?"  
  
Chiana fought to keep the innocent look on her face but it was too hard. "I'm Chiana, and no I  
don't have a weapon." She smiled weakly and took a step back.  
  
"I'm going to move the two of you into a private cell. But you've got to give it to me first." He  
motioned for the guards at the door to come in. They immediately raised their weapons and  
aimed them.  
  
Aeryn spotted the bulge in her companion's clothing. It surprised her that the soldier hadn't  
caught it sooner. "Give it to him."  
  
The younger woman groaned. She whispered, "Shut the frell up." It didn't have any effect on  
Aeryn and Jezik was still waiting. "Fine." Chiana pulled the tiny pistol out from under her top  
and handed it to the man.   
  
"Thank you very much." Jezik smiled and turned to leave. He nodded to the other two guards as  
he left. They returned the gesture.  
  
"Alright ladies, come with us."   
  
Aeryn looked from Chiana to the new arrivals. "No, I'm not worried."  
  
  
  
It looked like twilight. That moment when the last rays of sunlight cross over the land. John  
hadn't bothered to check how many suns this planet had. There where too many other things on  
his mind. He wasn't about to look up now. The astronaut was staring at a tiny pebble lying in  
front of him. It looked orange now.  
  
"You promised me John." Harvey pushed his face into the human's view but got no reaction. He  
was the faraway look and groaned. "Are you listening to me?"  
  
John's shoulders slumped a little more but he lifted his head. The neural clone was the only thing  
in front of him not tinted orange by the light. "Promises get broken, Harv. Deal with it." He  
reached forward and picked up the pebble. It weighed next to nothing in his hand. That was  
probably a metaphor for something.  
  
"Yes, yes, I was there too. She promised never to leave you." The clone shook his head in  
disgust. He never expected too much from Crichton but this was ridiculous. "The rules have  
changed John. It's time to move on."  
  
The pebble went flying through the air and landed without a sound. It was starting to get dark.   
John met his inner voice's eyes for the first time. They looked just slightly more hollow than his  
own. "You don't think she'll come back?"  
  
Harvey threw up his hands in submission. "Is that what you need to hear? Perhaps I haven't  
learned as much as I thought from you. It's always about hope isn't it?" He stood up and looked  
off into the horizon. "Yes John, I think she'll come back."  
  
Crichton shook his head. "You're just saying that to make me feel better."  
  
Despite the fact that he was only a mental image, Harvey felt his right eye begin to twitch. Even  
more amazing was the fact that he was trying to help John Crichton kill Scorpius. Something  
he'd already prevented at least twice. "I'm serious John. Before I just wanted you to put her out  
of your mind. But yes, I think Aeryn Sun will come back. She needs you." He felt the imaginary  
bile rise in his throat.  
  
John smirked and nodded at the clone. "You can go now." The image evaporated and he was  
once again sitting alone in the street. He stood up and looked back at the prison building behind  
him. Aeryn was still in there doing god knows what. Something else caught his eye.  
  
Two men, dressed in the same prison guard uniforms he had seen before, were standing a ways  
down the road. They were looking right at him. One of them had a radio-type device in his hand.   
John considered that he was being paranoid. 'I don't think that applies out here.' He tapped his  
comm. "Crais?"  
  
No sound came from the device for about a minute and then it started to crackle with static. The  
voice that came through sounded far away. "What is it Crichton? We agreed not to use comms."  
  
John cursed himself silently. "Sorry, I forgot. You picking up anything strange up there?" He  
strained his eyes to see Talyn up in the sky somewhere. The gun ship was probably well out of  
range anyways.  
  
"Talyn detects nothing out of the ordinary." There was a catch in the ex-captain's voice at the  
end. "Wait, there is something." Crais sounded worried now.  
  
The human walked out of sight and waited for a reply. He couldn't tell if the guards had followed  
and he wasn't about to check. "What something?"  
  
Crais answered right away this time. "A heavily encrypted data signal is being sent long-range.   
Talyn cannot break through." The hybrid leviathan's signature beeps came through in the  
background. Crais answered something indistinct in reply.  
  
"Crais! I'm coming up. Make sure Talyn knows it's me." John considered what he had just said.   
Maybe it would be better if Talyn didn't know. 'I hate my life.'  
  
  
  
Aeryn's hands were ice cold. She clasped them together and looked around the new cell. It was  
indeed private as Jezik had said. Just not quite private enough.  
  
"Who do you think this guy is?" Chiana came over and sat down beside the Sebacean. Her eyes  
sparkled with curiosity despite the darkness.   
  
She shook her head and leaned back against the wall. "I have no idea." Aeryn didn't want to talk  
to the little trelk now. She just wanted to be quiet for a moment. Like that was possible.  
  
Chiana groaned. "What is it with you? You can't even be civil with me." She crossed her arms  
in front of her and looked at the ground. Honestly, she didn't think pouting would work with  
Aeryn but it was worth a shot.   
  
Aeryn looked over at the Nebari and felt the anger swell up inside her. "I don't like you Chiana.   
I never have."  
  
The words took her a bit by surprise. Not that she didn't know it already, but it was different out  
loud. "You didn't like Crichton either. At first." Chiana glanced up to see if the words got a  
response.   
  
She felt herself go stiff. Aeryn met the younger woman's gaze and felt even colder. She'd seen  
many things in those eyes before. Much that annoyed her. This was different. Chiana looked  
sad. "Who says I like him now?"  
  
Chiana stared at her companion in confusion for a moment. Then she started to laugh. It felt  
good actually. "If I didn't know better, I'd say that was a joke."  
  
Aeryn couldn't fight it from coming. She smiled. It felt so strange to be sitting here talking to  
Chiana. After everything that had happened, she hadn't really spoken to anyone. "I've never had  
a female friend. I wouldn't know how to."  
  
Before Chiana could answer, the cell doors opened. There were some whispers from the darkness  
beyond and then Jezik entered. His face looked sterner than before but he wasn't holding a  
weapon. "We don't have much time."  
  
The ex-peacekeeper stood up immediately. She recognized those words and knew what they  
meant. Trouble was coming. "Who are you?"  
  
Jezik looked at her and then at the Nebari. "That's not important right now. I have to explain  
what's going on and then the two of you have to leave."  
  
Chiana got up and walked over beside Aeryn. Her hand went to the place where her gun had  
been. Not anymore. "You're letting us go?"  
  
He ignored the comment and kept his gaze on Aeryn. Her face betrayed no emotion that he could  
read. "You may have noticed that peacekeepers aren't exactly welcome around here."  
  
Aeryn remembered what had happened at the bar. "I've seen that. You think they might try to  
get us in here?"  
  
Jezik shook his head. "I'm not worried about them right now. Listen closely." He turned and  
checked the door. The other guards had left. "The moment they recognized who you were, a  
signal was sent out to all peacekeeper ships within range. They'll be here soon."  
  
The Nebari was confused. "But you just said people here hate peacekeepers. Why would they  
help them?"  
  
The man nodded. "I said the locals hated them. The police force is a different matter. They've  
managed to keep a presence here without anyone knowing about it."  
  
That was the last alarm bell Aeryn needed. She rushed forward and grabbed him by the collar.   
"Then how do you know about it?"  
  
Jezik grabbed her wrists and squeezed. She was strong but not nearly enough for him. Seeing the  
point, Aeryn let go. "I am a peacekeeper." He reached into his coat and pulled out a pk id chip.   
"But not the one you should be worried about."  
  
Chiana stepped up into she was bumping into the woman in front of her. "I don't trust him."  
  
Aeryn nodded. "Neither do I." She turned her attention back to stranger. "Why would you try  
to help us?"  
  
Jezik narrowed his eyes and leaned in close to the two in front of him. "Because your mother  
asked me to."  
  
  
  
The doors to command slid open with a whoosh. John walked into the room with his eyes on the  
auto-guns above his head. It wouldn't be the first time those frelling things had him in their  
sights. He spotted Crais standing by the forward portal. The ex-captain had a dark look on his  
face.  
  
"She wouldn't come back with you?" Crais already knew the answer to that question. Talyn had  
informed him right away that the pod only carried one passenger. The wrong one apparently.  
  
John shook his head. "I didn't even talk to her. Chiana gave me the message." He walked over  
beside the Sebacean and looked out the window. There was nothing there.  
  
Crais studied the human carefully for a moment. He'd never known John Crichton to give up that  
easily. "Did you at least inform them of the situation?" The monitor beside him showed the  
progress that Talyn had made in decoding the message. It wasn't good.  
  
"No Crais, I didn't." John turned to face the man and shrugged. "I couldn't exactly go back in  
and ask that they please not arrest me." He noticed that his raised voice had gotten Talyn's  
attention. Beeping sounds came from above.  
  
Bialar ignored his ship's concerns. "I see your point." He passed his hand over the console  
beside him and a holo-display came up. It showed nothing but empty space. "What then, do you  
suggest we do?"  
  
John pressed his hands against his temples and practically growled. It was so hard to think with  
all the frelling crap already taking up so much room. He knew that Aeryn wouldn't come back  
with him unless there was no other choice. Things hadn't gotten that bad yet. The human also  
knew that staying here with Talyn was too dangerous. He looked over at Crais. "We go."  
  
The ex-captain wasn't sure he heard right. Talyn replayed the words in his head as if  
understanding how he felt. "I'm going to assume that was an irrational outburst. We cannot  
leave Aeryn here to die."  
  
"Crais! She's not coming with us! That's her not me talking so put the blame where it belongs."   
John felt the anger burn inside him. Or was that grief? "We have a job to do so let's get on with  
it."  
  
The conflict he was feeling was made much worse by Talyn's. "You're suggesting we attack  
Scorpius without her?" Crais saw the look on John's face. He was amazed to find himself  
agreeing with him. There was no other choice. "Then we have another problem to deal with."  
  
'That's good, that's good! Concentrate on the plan. Push her out of your mind!' John wasn't  
sure if that was him or Harvey but it sounded like good advice. "What problem?"  
  
Crais nodded and replaced the display with a schematic. "This is my former command carrier." A  
feeling that could called nostalgia came to the surface. Talyn was confused by it. "We should be  
able to board her without being detected. But completing the task could prove more difficult."  
  
John smiled in mock confidence. "You let me worry about Scorpy. I'll get him." He saw the  
look on Crais' face and shut up.  
  
"I'm not talking about that. Scorpius must have his information stored on the ship's database,  
which means it can be remote accessed by High Command." Bialar tried not to sound overly  
dramatic but the speech was necessary. "Destroying the ship won't eliminate the information."  
  
  
"I don't know. Scorpy isn't a share with the rest of the class kind of guy." John found himself  
amazed at how quickly the conversation had switched. All of the sudden he was talking strategy  
with frelling Crais.   
  
"We have to purge the information from the Peacekeeper central network." Crais pointed  
towards Talyn's own computer system. "Talyn can access the network but he cannot change it.   
It'll have to be done from the carrier's central computer."  
  
John didn't understand what the problem was. "So, we grab a tech on the way in. What's the big  
deal?"  
  
Bialar frowned. "It is most likely that Scorpius has restaffed the ship. Any tech we might find  
would rather die than do what we need." He waited for Crichton to retort something foolish.  
  
"You once promised to kill me. Now we're working together. Forgive me if I'm a little skeptical  
of Peacekeeper resolve." John didn't like the look he got from Crais.  
  
"That was a very unusual situation Crichton. You must trust me. We need outside assistance."   
Crais was immediately hit with the weight of what he had just said. How far he was willing to go.  
  
John's shoulders slumped. He glanced out the window again and sighed. "Great, so where the  
hell are we going to get a tech?"  
  
  
  
The Marauder cut its engines and came to a halt on the planet's surface. It was a great credit to  
the ship's captain that he had avoided detection by Talyn. Of course, he didn't even know the  
hybrid leviathan was in the area.  
  
Captain Onin took his hand off the controls and turned to face his only passenger. The two men  
stared at each other for a moment. He finally smiled to ease the tension. "Do you really think  
we'll find Aeryn Sun?"  
  
Keller looked down at his shoes and frowned. His superior's endless enthusiasm had gotten quite  
annoying. "I wouldn't know sir. I'm only a tech."  
  
"Oh come on! You've heard the reports just as I have. Don't tell me you're not the least bit  
curious to see if it's all true." Onin stood up and headed for the door.   
  
He had in fact heard the reports and much more about the infamous peacekeeper traitor. Her  
name had been stricken from most public news but word still got around. The prowler pilot who  
took up with John Crichton and Bialar Crais. Well, very few knew about the second man. Not  
even Captain Onin. Keller reached into his side bag and pulled out a pulse pistol. "Sir?"  
  
Onin answered without turning around. "What is it?" He started to push open the hatch when a  
pulse blast exploded into his back. "What the frell!" Sadly, those were his last words. The dead  
captain slumped to the ground in a heap.   
  
"I'm sorry I had to do that." There was no hint of sarcasm in the tech's voice. He wasn't used to  
killing people. It was a new habit. Keller opened his bag and made sure everything was there. It  
was time to go.  
  
  
  
Aeryn sat staring at the now shut cell doors with her mouth still hanging open. It had taken her  
some time to make sure she'd heard the words correctly. This man claimed to be acting on her  
mother's orders. The initial shock had given way to suspicion. Aeryn held no more romantic  
illusions about Xhalax Sun.  
  
"You don't believe him do you?" Chiana came up beside her and frowned when she saw the look  
on Aeryn's face. Fortunately, Jezik had been called away to deal with something. Otherwise, she  
wasn't sure if Aeryn could have held out.  
  
She looked up at the Nebari and wiped her eyes. There were no tears there but she'd gotten used  
to doing it. "He's lying."  
  
Chiana nodded. "So where does that leave us?" She jumped up onto the bench and tried to reach  
the small holes along the ceiling's edge.   
  
"They'll probably kill us. Maybe torture." Aeryn ignored what her companion was doing and  
took in what she had just said. The idea of life and death produced mixed feelings in her. She  
saw Crichton's face in both directions. 'Stop it!'  
  
Her hands gripped the uneven stone above and she hoisted herself up. Chiana was disappointed  
to find that the hole was way too small for her to fit through. "I guess that makes me the  
optimist." Through the darkness, she spotted something.  
  
Outside, a wide street opened up and made its way towards the edge of town. Chiana could see a  
lone figure walking in their direction. The rest of the area appeared to be deserted. She focused  
her attention on the person. There was something in his right hand. Every microt or so it blinked  
red and then went dark again. "Aeryn, come look at this."  
  
Aeryn did not move. "What is it?"  
  
Chiana's eyes widened. The light had stopped blinking. She searched her memory for what that  
meant. It had to be in there somewhere. A moment of clarity hit her. "Oh frell!"  
  
The wall beside the two women exploded inward and sent chunks of stone rocketing across the  
room. Chiana was flung from her perch and knocked to the ground. She found herself next to  
Aeryn. The ex-peacekeeper looked angry.   
  
  
Aeryn didn't get a chance to express her feelings. She felt something take hold of her neck and  
lift her off the ground. A man, probably Sebacean, was standing in front of her with a detonator  
in his other hand. "Who the frell are you?"  
  
Keller took in the sight of Aeryn Sun's face and smiled. "You're not exactly how I pictured you."   
He dropped the detonator and pulled a white pistol out of his bag. "I'm sorry about this." The  
stun gun fired and she fell towards him.   
  
Chiana forced herself up only to be thrown back by a stun blast. She felt her limbs go numb but  
didn't lose consciousness. "Ha! It'll take more than that to-." A fist came down and smashed  
her across the face.  
  
It was a few microts before she could open her eyes again. Chiana found herself staring down the  
barrel of a pulse rifle.   
  
"Where is she?!" Jezik removed the gun from her face and looked up at the giant hole in the wall.   
He gritted his teeth in anger and kicked the Nebari viciously. "Tell me or I'll kill you." 


	3. chapter 3

"So, any ideas?" John rubbed his forehead and groaned. The headache wasn't going away  
anytime soon. Especially not with Crais pacing in front of him. "Would you stop that please!"  
  
Crais looked up from his walk and frowned. He saw the look of disdain in the human's eyes and  
was hit with how odd this situation was. The other Crichton had carried that look many times in  
the short period they had been shipmates. Well, not at the end. "I'm sorry Crichton."  
  
He sensed just enough sarcasm in the words to determine that they were insincere. John stood up  
from the console in front of him and headed for the door. "Forget it."  
  
The ex-captain watched him go. Talyn offered up his opinion of what they should do but Crais  
ignored it. There would be no accidental shootings today. It actually worried him a little that the  
gun ship would suggest something like that. 'This is so frelling confusing.' Then again, a lot of  
things were like that these days. "Why don't you get some rest John. I'll let you know if I think  
of anything."  
  
John froze in his tracks and turned around. Perhaps it was the sound of his first name coming  
from the man in front of him. At one point it might have annoyed him. Now, well, that kind of  
thing didn't seem important. "Sure, whatever." He waved his hands over the door controls and  
stepped outside.  
  
Bialar flinched as the doors slid shut. It wasn't like him to get so worked up during a time of  
crisis. Honestly, he didn't know what was happening to him. Only that something had changed  
recently. What she had said to him. 'You didn't used to be like this.'   
  
Talyn was feeling it as well. The hybrid leviathan hadn't let more than that fact slip to the man he  
called captain. What she had said to them had disturbed him greatly. But it hadn't started with  
her. He'd begun feeling differently a while ago.  
  
"Show it to me again." Crais spoke the words and waited for the display screen in front of him to  
light up. It didn't take very long. He watched quietly.  
  
-  
  
Crais rubbed his hands together. They were ice cold despite the warm temperatures. He saw the  
screen go black and then turned to leave the room. The ex-captain hadn't believed what she said  
until now. Hadn't allowed Chiana's strange words to affect him. But something was happening.   
Events were leading him to something. 'But what?'  
  
  
  
Aeryn felt herself moving back towards consciousness. The numbness was beginning to dissipate  
and she felt the first side effects of being stunned. Her joints were sore and she could barely open  
her eyes. Dim wisps of light broke through but that was all. Aeryn managed to open them with  
all the strength she'd built up. 'What the frell?'  
  
She was lying face down and could feel grains of sand working their way into her mouth. Aeryn  
forced herself to the side and almost jumped. A body had been placed beside her. She didn't  
recognize the face but he was dressed like a peacekeeper captain. The blood trailing from his  
mouth was enough to tell her he was dead.  
  
"I wouldn't get too worked up about him." Keller watched her first movements from the platform  
above and smiled when she gave him a cold look. "Well, you don't disappoint do you? I thought  
maybe you'd warmed up by now." He smiled at some almost forgotten memory.  
  
Aeryn narrowed her eyes at him. She tried to talk and found it easier than expected. "Who the  
frell are you?" Considering their introduction, she decided not to be too forceful. Dying like this  
wasn't part of the plan.   
  
Keller wondered what she was thinking but quickly set it aside. They had places to be and not too  
much time to get there. He finished his work and wrenched a small black device from the  
marauder's front console. "We can leave now."  
  
She watched the device fall to the ground and studied it. The object looked familiar. "Someone  
will be looking for us then?"  
  
He smiled. "We'll get to that."  
  
Aeryn suddenly remembered something important. "What the frell did you do with Chiana?"  
  
Keller froze. "You mean she was the other prisoner?" A look of distress filled his face for a  
moment. "Idiot! How many frelling Nebaris do you see around here?" He stood up and tried to  
get a glimpse of the prison center. It would be too late by now.  
  
"What is it? What did you do with her?" Aeryn watched him carefully for some sign. There  
weren't any good ones.  
  
"I made a mistake. I'm sorry." He dropped down and extended a hand to her. "Come with me  
now. No sense getting us killed too."  
  
Keller helped her stand and motioned for Aeryn to climb up into the marauder. She eyed him  
suspiciously but obeyed. Not that anyone found him particularly intimidating, but he was still  
carrying a gun.   
  
Aeryn didn't know what the frell was going on but she really didn't have another choice. The ex-  
peacekeeper found herself feeling something entirely new. Somewhere out in the darkness Chiana  
was in serious danger. Aeryn was worried about her.  
  
  
  
"Explain it to me again."   
  
Chiana glared at the peacekeeper from her seat on the bench. The effects of the stun gun had  
finally faded away but she still felt like dren. She groaned as a sharp pain cut across her ribs. That  
frelling guy had kicked her.   
  
He watched her carefully and tried to imagine what she was thinking. Jezik had not been properly  
briefed on the Nebari. They knew she was on Moya but that was about it. "I didn't mean to yell  
at you before. Sorry."  
  
"Don't do that. Don't apologize." She turned away from him and looked out into the night. The  
big hole hadn't been covered up yet. Maybe she could make a run for it. 'Funny.'  
  
Jezik tried to keep from laughing. This little one was tough, he could see that. She had that  
playful look to her but there was something in the eyes. Something he couldn't wrap his mind  
around just yet. "Then explain it to me. Who took her?"  
  
"You think I know? I didn't exactly have the best view." Chiana raised her hand and wiped a  
smear of mud off her cheek. It was bad enough to feel like dren. No use in looking the part as  
well. "The bastard knocked me out before I could see him."  
  
The peacekeeper stood up and walked over to the hole in the wall. Jezik searched the area but  
saw nothing suspicious. Nothing that would signify a trail. Whoever had done this was good. It  
would have taken planning. "Help me find her. I promise no harm will come to you."  
  
Chiana laughed. "The peacekeeper wants me to trust him." She checked to make sure he wasn't  
reacting violently. "Aeryn can take care of herself."  
  
Jezik turned back to face her. "Can you?"  
  
She scowled. "Frell off!"  
  
He smacked her hard across the face and took a step back. Jezik wasn't in the mood for games  
anymore. They were working on a timetable. "I can take you with me or I can kill you now.   
Make your choice." The anger was rising inside him again. Jezik shook himself out of it. 'Don't  
make this personal.'  
  
Chiana let her eyes fall on the pulse rifle her captor was holding. It looked scarier than usual now.   
Moonlight reflected off of its smooth surface and made it appear like some wicked thing.   
Chiana's thoughts turned to survival. "Where are we going?" She tried to force a smile but none  
came.  
  
Jezik nodded. This was better for everyone. He would just have to make this plan up as he went  
along. No big deal. He'd done it before. "You'll see."  
  
  
  
Command was silent except for the constant hum of Talyn's systems. The lighting had been set to  
its lowest so anyone looking in could barely make out the solitary figure. Concerned, the gun ship  
had centralized its consciousness in the hub above the floor. He watched his captain, his father in  
some respects, standing quietly. Talyn sensed change.  
  
"I can feel it too." Crais was surprised at how strikingly his words shattered the silence. It felt  
like a veil had been lifted from his eyes. He'd been off somewhere again without actually leaving  
the room. What Crichton called daydreaming. There was no time for that now.   
  
There were two small objects placed on the table in front of him. Each glimmered with the dim  
light that filled the room. Crais stared at them cautiously. He was still trying to decide between  
the two of them. One gold, the other silver, each with its own problems. The ex-captain lifted his  
hand.  
  
Talyn suddenly broke in with an alert from the long range sensors. A ship large enough to pose a  
threat was entering the area. If it worried the hybrid leviathan, then Crais was worried too. He  
had to get this over with.   
  
"Hey Crais, you picking this up?" John's voice came in over the comms and further bothered the  
silence. The human sounded concerned.  
  
"I have. Where are you?" Crais waited for a reply.  
  
John answered quickly. "Coming your way. I'll be there in a second."  
  
Bialar looked down at the two data chips and made his decision. He launched his fist downward  
and smashed the gold chip to pieces. They scattered across the surface and slid over the side of  
the table. That was that. "Very well Crichton."  
  
The doors to command opened and John Crichton stepped inside. Ignoring whatever the hell  
Crais was doing, he made for the sensor console and tried to bring up a visual. "The DRDs were  
going bananas. I thought you'd be worried."  
  
Crais watched him for a moment before speaking. At least now they could dispense with the  
rivalry. Personal conflicts were out of place in a combat situation. The ex-captain nodded. "You  
don't need to do that. I know what's coming."  
  
John stopped working at the controls and turned around. He suddenly felt worse. "Don't be so  
damn dramatic. What is it?"  
  
Crais waved his hand and a display came up. A familiar one actually. "The Vigilante."  
  
  
  
  
The marauder lifted off from the ground and made its way quickly up towards the sky. Keller  
watched his sensors tensely in case another craft came into the vicinity. He'd modified them  
enough so that long range ships would come up as well. So far the leviathan was moving in the  
opposite direction. It had to stay that way for the moment.  
  
Keller breathed a sigh of relief as the peacekeeper vessel left the atmosphere and entered free  
space. He could hear his cargo beginning to move behind him. "Has it worn off yet?"  
  
The stun gun must not have been set to its highest level. Aeryn already felt the drowsiness leaving  
her completely. Now she was just angry. She took in her surroundings and something connected.   
This was a marauder. "You're a peacekeeper."  
  
He heard the stiffness in her voice. The business-like manner. Keller figured that meant she was  
back to normal. "Yes, but in name only."  
  
Aeryn frowned. She remembered what had happened in the prison cell. "That's just what the  
other one, Jezik, said."  
  
Keller felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. "Jezik? He was there?"   
  
She took the shock in his voice to mean that Jezik being there was a bad thing. Aeryn felt a  
headache coming on. The ex-peacekeeper was tired of complications. "He said my mother sent  
him to protect me."  
  
"Frelling retrieval squad." He checked the sensors again and made sure no Vigilantes were in the  
area. The screen was clean. "He was lying."  
  
Aeryn gave a weary smile. "Yeah, I figured that." She considered the rest of what he had said.   
"But we defeated the retrieval squad. High Command sent another one?"  
  
The tech shook his head. "Don't be foolish, they didn't put everything on Xhalax. High  
Command had a contingency plan. Jezik and his men will do whatever it takes."  
  
"And these are the people who have Chiana? The ones you're not willing to go after?" Aeryn  
suddenly realized her hands were clenched into fists. The anger, any emotion at this point, felt  
good.  
  
"Too dangerous." Keller tried to change the subject. "Say, you never told me how you were  
feeling." Even as he spoke, he heard the sound of something charging.  
  
Aeryn stuck the barrel of Keller's pulse rifle into the back of his neck. "Better." 


	4. chapter 4

She blinked several times before her eyes allowed themselves to open fully. The smell of the bag  
over her head was overpowering and she gagged. Chiana looked straight ahead and saw nothing.   
She wiggled her face around but the cover was on too tight. "Can someone please take this  
frelling thing off?"  
  
The words echoed off the walls around her but no one answered. She was alone inside of a large  
open space. A gentle breeze which must have been the ventilation system passed over her and  
incited shivers. Chiana felt her hands start to shake.  
  
"Try to hold still. If I do this wrong, your eye goes with the bag." The voice was loud but  
seemed to come from far away. Probably some sort of speaker.  
  
Chiana, not comforted by the words, did her best to stay still. It was then that she realized what  
was going on. She was kneeling on what had to be the floor of a peacekeeper ship. Nothing else  
felt quite like it. It wasn't something she was fond of remembering. "Whenever you're ready."  
  
There was a sharp yank and then her eyesight was restored. Chiana's eyes went wide at the initial  
shock of her surroundings. She was in a box-like room with no windows and only the door she  
now faced. "Naw, not big enough. Where am I supposed to keep all my clothes?"  
  
A metallic screech cut through the quiet that followed her remark. It had to be the speaker again.   
"But you're not wearing any."  
  
"What the frell!" Chiana looked down frantically and moved to cover herself up. Her hands only  
got so far before they were pulled back by the restraints. She'd been bound behind her back. It  
took a moment for the Nebari to realize she was still fully clothed. Chiana narrowed her eyes and  
looked back to the door. "Bastards." The word came out softer than she'd intended.  
  
Obnoxious laughter could be heard from the speakers. It subsided quickly but was replaced with  
something even worse. A much more familiar voice seemed to be whispering quietly on the other  
end. Then, without warning, it got louder. "How are you feeling?"  
  
Jezik's voice reached her ears and she growled. Chiana pulled again at her hands but it was no  
use. She was stuck for the time being. "This sort of yotz happens to me all the time." She  
grinned proudly and shrugged towards the voice. "Just another-."  
  
"This isn't a game, girl." Jezik cut in on her bravado speech. He admired her strength but it was  
getting rather annoying. "We gave you a sleep agent before leaving the planet. If it reacts  
wrongly to your physiology, you're dead." He smiled into the microphone. "How are you  
feeling?"  
  
Chiana hunched down towards the floor and let out a long sigh. "Like dren."  
  
"Good." At the word, the door in front of Chiana began to slide open. Jezik stood their  
majestically with a pulse rifle tucked into his belt. He nodded slightly and the soldier standing  
behind him turned and marched away down the hall. "Now we can talk."  
  
As he stepped into the room, she took in the sight of him under bright lights. Classic black  
peacekeeper hair with just a hint of wildness about it. Chiana wondered how long it took to  
perfect the look. And there was something about his face. Quite handsome actually but with  
something not quite right.  
  
"What are you looking at?" Jezik's stern exterior broke for a moment as he realized that the  
Nebari was staring at him. He looked into her wide eyes and tensed.  
  
Chiana let the corners of her mouth rise ever so slightly in the way that Aeryn hated. "Did your  
mother beat you as a child?" She let each word draw itself out slowly.   
  
Jezik was suddenly confused. There was a point to her antagonism beside the obvious but he  
couldn't quite get at it. Instead, the peacekeeper smiled. "I never met my mother. But if I had, I  
imagine she would have."  
  
Both of them started to laugh. It wasn't a pleasant sound.  
  
  
  
"This is madness. You do know that?" Keller watched the woman sitting across him with a  
growing sense of panic. Months of planning were suddenly at stake because of a stupid mistake  
on his part. But what she was planning to do was even worse.  
  
Aeryn looked up for a moment but continued to stroke the barrel of her new pulse rifle. She  
noted the frightened look in the tech's eyes and answered back with her own steely glare. "And?"  
  
He smacked his fist against the wall and instantly regretted it. Behind Keller, the marauder's front  
portal showed the matter which they were barely discussing. The Vigilante loomed in the distance  
and appeared to live up to every story told about it.  
  
"You got us into this mess. I'd think you'd be a bit more inclined to help." Aeryn stood up and  
walked over to the portal. She stared out at the metal monster and an odd smile spread across her  
lips. If ever there was a way to push something out of your thoughts.....  
  
Keller watched her silently for a moment and then started to nod slightly. It had indeed been his  
fault. The object of his mission was intent on rescuing the Nebari and it was his fault that Chiana  
had been captured. There was nothing left to do but go along. "What do you need?"  
  
Aeryn turned towards him with an angry look on her face. "What are you? An Idiot? I want to  
know everything."  
  
The tech let his eyes fall on the Vigilante and he nodded again. "The Retrieval Squad will have, at  
most, twelve men. All from the tops of their respective branches." Keller now met Aeryn's stare.   
"You understand what that means?"  
  
She considered the question for only a moment before answering. "I do."  
  
The next part was actually a bit hopeful. "With so few aboard a vessel of that size, most of its  
systems will undoubtedly be under automated control. Anything that might throw it out of  
balance will help you get in and out." Keller motioned towards a black bag by the pilot's chair.   
"I have some leftover explosives."  
  
Aeryn picked up the bag and pulled out a small cylinder. It felt heavy in her hands. She smiled.   
"Then all I have to do is worry about the twelve?" The ex-peacekeeper allowed herself to smile  
wryly. "I like my chances."  
  
Keller shook his head and sighed. "I didn't take you for an optimist."  
  
  
  
Chiana tasted blood in her mouth and frowned. She spit violently and the liquid sprayed itself  
across the clean metal floors. The Nebari had been able to see her reflection there. Now it was  
covered with nasty spots. "Shouldn't you be chasing Talyn?"  
  
Behind her, Jezik turned at the mention of the gun ship's name. He lowered his baton and took a  
step towards the prisoner. "You don't give up easily do you?"  
  
There was no answer from her. She lifted her head slowly until their eyes met. Then Chiana  
started to laugh. It burned like fire and more blood slipped onto her lips but the look on Jezik's  
face was worth it. She tensed for another blow.  
  
It didn't come. Jezik stared at her angrily but ultimately left his stick where it was. Beating the  
answer out of her wasn't the right tactic. That wasn't a big problem. Just switch over to  
something else. Interrogation training brought to life. "We tried that already."  
  
Chiana continued to look at the peacekeeper but now she was compelled to speak. "So what  
now? Use Aeryn and me to trade for Talyn? Won't work."   
  
Jezik finally smiled. "You have nothing to do with this, girl. Just an unhappy coincidence." He  
circled around her with the baton ever swinging in his hands. Maybe violence wasn't the answer,  
but it was still fun.  
  
"Come on! I'm not that annoying am I?" Chiana forced herself to grin at her captor. "I'm right  
about Aeryn though." She tensed.  
  
This time it came. Jezik swung rapidly and the stick slammed loudly into Chiana's face. There  
was a crunching sound accompanied by a high-pitched scream from the Nebari.  
  
The sound erupting from her lungs echoed over and over off the walls. Chiana sent her tongue  
searching through the blood and found the damaged tooth. Probing it, she discovered something.   
The bottom half was missing. 'Frell! That's gonna cost a load of dren to fix.'  
  
"I need Aeryn Sun. That much is true." Jezik moved so he was now standing directly in front of  
his prisoner. "All that should concern you now is the tiny role you have to play in all of this." He  
savored the confused look on Chiana's face. She'd probably been too caught up in her tough act  
to think about it. "You're the bait I'm going to use to get her."  
  
Chiana's mouth was already open because of the pain but it probably dropped a little more. It  
wasn't the peacekeeper's words that bothered her. Somehow she figured that Aeryn could deal  
with these guys and get her out. But would she? Would Aeryn come for her? It had happened  
before but that was on Moya. Things were different now. "She won't come for me." The words  
hurt coming out.  
  
"Then you'll die." Jezik took a step back and smiled again. The girl now looked defeated, the  
look of courage long gone. 'That's enough fun for now,' he thought to himself. Jezik turned and  
faced the door.   
  
Behind him, something strange was happening. Chiana's head slid to the side. She shivered  
slightly and something indistinguishable passed through her eyes. The Nebari suddenly smiled.  
'Maybe not.'  
  
  
  
Aeryn watched the Vigilante's hangar doors shut behind her with a stern look on her face. There  
was no turning back now. "This is a Crichton plan if I ever heard one."  
  
The tech beside her suddenly stopped working and turned. "What did you say?"  
  
She shook her head. "Nothing." Aeryn looked over at the platform ahead and something  
occurred to her. "Where are you going to be?"  
  
Keller nodded. He was proud of himself in this area. Apparently the old skills hadn't dulled with  
time. "I've rigged the ship's computers to read only one life-sign. Namely yours." He pointed  
towards the platform. "See, no guards. I imagine they want you aboard."  
  
Aeryn followed his gaze but did not share the confidence. "What if they decide to search the  
ship?"  
  
"If they had more people, then I'd be worried. With only twelve men, they won't waste time on  
the marauder. Trust me, all eyes will be on you."  
  
They remained silent until the engines cut out and the marauder came to a stop. Aeryn moved  
towards the door and began to pull the latch open.   
  
  
"Aeryn?" Keller's voice broke the silence one final time before her departure. She turned  
without speaking. "Good luck."  
  
The ex-peacekeeper threw the hatch open and dropped down to the ground below. She lifted her  
pulse rifle and took in the perimeter. Aeryn wondered how many pairs of eyes were watching her  
now. How many weapons were trained on her position?  
  
She didn't know it then but Jezik and his captive had learned of her arrival only moments before.   
They waited now for her arrival and the next phase of the plan.  
  
  
  
There were two sentries posted outside the Vigilante's hangar. Both men wore dull black  
uniforms with no special design or insignia. They were bred to be nameless and merciless. That,  
more than anything else, was a description of a Retrieval squad underling.  
  
Aeryn pushed open the door in front of her and stepped into a long hallway. Up ahead she  
spotted one of the soldiers standing rigidly against the wall. His presence seemed to mark the first  
break off in direction. "Drop your weapon!"  
  
The soldier made no attempt to aim his weapon or to drop it. He simply stood there like a statue  
and waited.  
  
Less than comforted, Aeryn raised her own rifle and began walking down the hall. Each step she  
took echoed off the walls and brought her one step closer to the junction.  
  
Her speed was quick and very soon the two of them were standing no more than four feet apart.   
Aeryn had reached the junction but still got no response from the soldier. Then she heard the  
sound.  
  
"That's far enough Officer Sun." There was another man standing a few feet down the left  
passageway with a pulse rifle in his hands. This was now aimed directly at Aeryn's head.  
  
She nodded slowly and let her own weapon slide downwards. As Aeryn did this, the soldier  
standing in front of her came to life.  
  
"You want the girl?" The Soldier was slightly taller than Aeryn and stared down at her with eyes  
that betrayed no emotion. Even his teeth were a bit too white for her liking. He looked more like  
a doll than a person.  
  
"Where is she?" Aeryn spoke the words and waited patiently for a reply. She considered what  
might happen here. They would probably let her go after Chiana but that would still leave twelve  
men to deal with.  
  
The man, his pulse rifle still raised, began to speak. "Go past me and continue on down the hall.   
At the end you'll find the detention area. You'll have to wait there for instructions.  
  
Aeryn was a bit surprised that her prediction had come true. Nonetheless, she recouped quickly  
and began walking past the man with the gun.   
  
  
  
Maybe these things were connected to stress somehow. Chiana lifted her head up a little more  
and felt that familiar feeling again. Her head cocked to the side and her eyes glazed over.  
  
Jezik noticed her strange behavior and walked over to her. "What are you doing?" He raised his  
baton but it had no affect.  
  
Chiana snapped back from wherever she had been and a blood-curdling scream burst from her  
lips. Surprised, to say the least, Jezik jumped back and slammed against the door.  
  
  
  
The scream came echoing down the hall and reached Aeryn. She flinched slightly as recognition  
came. That was Chiana's voice. But something else happened as well. Both of the gun-toting  
men beside her turned their heads in surprise. That was all she needed.  
  
Aeryn threw herself behind the man and ripped the gun from his hand. "Drop your gun or I'll kill  
him!" The Soldier responded to this demand by firing at her through his partner.   
  
She thrust the dead body forward and it went crashing into the soldier. He staggered backward  
for a moment and lost his aim. Aeryn lifted her own pulse rifle and fired repeatedly. Both bodies  
dropped to the ground in a heap.  
  
"Thank you Chiana." Aeryn turned on her heels and continued on down the hall.  
  
  
  
Jezik heard gunfire in the distance and scowled. He had hoped that this would go down without  
any casualties on either side. He needed a strong crew almost as much as he needed Aeryn Sun  
alive. It had never occurred to him that she might not play along. 'Arrogant bastard!'  
  
He knelt down in front of his prisoner and began shaking her violently. "You knew she was there  
didn't you? How?!" Jezik's rage appeared not to frighten the girl anymore.  
  
Chiana looked up at the peacekeeper and smiled. It was all she could do to keep from laughing.   
Aeryn had come for her after all. "Intuition, I guess." She suddenly realized that he might kill her  
before help came.  
  
Killing the Nebari was the last thing on Jezik's mind. He had instructed the rest of his men to stay  
away from the area. It had all seemed to fit perfectly in his plan before. Now he felt like an idiot.   
"Frell."  
  
She watched him stand up again and turn towards the door. He dropped his baton back into its  
slip and pulled out a pulse pistol. Chiana considered that he might actually kill Aeryn. 'Can't  
have that.'  
  
Jezik started to open the door when the girl's voice sounded from behind him. He stopped but  
did not move.  
  
"Wait." It was all Chiana could think of.  
  
  
  
Aeryn reached the end of the hall and looked around. The soldier had told her that someone  
would now provide further instructions. There didn't seem to be anyone around though.   
"Another scream would be good." No such luck.  
  
There were two doors on either side of her and they were all shut. Aeryn moved towards the first  
one on her right. Nothing happened. She lifted her leg and gave the door a strong kick. It slid  
open to reveal an empty room. "Next."  
  
The first door on her left stood waiting. Aeryn gave another kick and this time the door didn't  
budge. 'What would be an appropriate word about now?' "Bingo." She tried not to remember  
where she had heard that.  
  
Aeryn pulled the pack she was carrying off her back and placed it on the floor. She gave a quick  
glance down the hallway to make sure no one was coming and then continued. The ex-  
peacekeeper reached into the bag and pulled out one of the small black cylinders. Aeryn stood  
and walked over to the door. She put the cylinder forward and it stuck.  
  
"Now just don't be by the door."  
  
  
  
"Wait for what?"  
  
Chiana looked at the door and then Jezik. She tried to smile but didn't quite have the energy for  
it. The Nebari could feel heat hitting her face. 'Now that's frelled.'  
  
Jezik stared at her for a moment and tried to ascertain what she was up to. Nothing came to  
mind. At least nothing that could hurt him. He turned back towards the door.  
  
Using all the strength she had left, Chiana pushed herself backwards and landed flat on her back.   
The pain was incredible but she didn't much care at this point.  
  
Jezik heard her and began to turn around. Then something else caught his attention. "Did you  
hear-."  
  
"Watch out!" Chiana didn't know why she said it but it was too late to worry about it now. A  
loud boom came from beyond the wall and suddenly the door was airborne. It blasted inward and  
went flying over the Nebari's head in a shower of flames. Now the heat was real.  
  
Aeryn stepped into the room with her pulse rifle aimed and looked around. She spotted Chiana  
on the floor and nodded. "Where's Jezik?"  
  
Chiana motioned back towards where the remains of the door had landed in a heap of burning  
debris. "I think you got him."  
  
The ex-peacekeeper grinned and knelt down. Aeryn turned the younger woman over on her side  
and spotted the restraints. Pulling her pk knife from its sheath, she cut them and took a step back.   
"Are you alright."  
  
Without knowing where the strength came from, Chiana pushed herself onto her feet and smiled.   
She looked at Aeryn, hard-faced as always, and lunged forward. "Aeryn!"  
  
The two of them stood there in an awkward embrace for what seemed to be a very long time.   
Aeryn was the first to pull away. "What was that?"  
  
Chiana shook her head, slightly annoyed. "You came to rescue me. I wasn't sure if you would."   
She let go and took a step back.  
  
"Just don't make me regret it." Aeryn lifted her pulse rifle off the floor and swung it over her  
shoulder. She was still all business but there was a softness to her face that hadn't been there a  
moment ago.  
  
They started for the door with Chiana following her rescuer. She rubbed the dried blood from her  
mouth and continued on. "I guess this is some sort of breakthrough for us, huh?"  
  
Just then an alarm came over the speaker system and the hallway was filled with flashing red  
lights.  
  
"Frell!" Aeryn repeated the word several times. It wasn't clear which situation she was  
responding to. 


	5. chapter 5

Fic: Walk It Off 5  
thanks to can for her help  
  
He hadn't expected to feel like this. Hadn't expected the complete absence of fear inside of  
himself. This was, obviously, something to fear. John stared at the hulking mass of metal as it  
floated by Talyn's forward portal and felt a lump rise in his throat. The human's hatred of the  
ship overwhelmed any thoughts it brought of Aeryn. 'Traveling heavy, huh John?'  
  
"So this is the big bitch that's causing all our problems," John said. It took him a moment to  
realize that he had spoken the words out loud. Still, he kept his eyes glued to the screen  
throughout.  
  
Without looking up from his console, Crais answered. "Is there something wrong Crichton?"   
  
John snapped back into reality. "Oh, no. Just taking a look at the big bad wolf." He waved off  
the recording and turned to face his traveling companion.  
  
There was no attempt from the ex-captain to decipher the meaning of that statement. Bialar did  
his best to ignore the human and continued on with his work. Truthfully, he wasn't really doing  
anything of importance. It just felt good to concentrate on something simple.  
  
"Yeah, sorry. You don't get the Disney Chan-." John stopped dead in his tracks as a startling  
realization came to him. It occurred right at the corner of his eye but he had in fact seen  
something. "Crais, take a look at this."  
  
Bialar finally stopped working and glanced up. "What is it?" He saw nothing to cause alarm.   
The scene in front of him was just Crichton and the video recording playing in the background.  
  
John stood rigidly with his hand gesturing up to the portal behind him. "You see the Vigilante  
right?"  
  
Crais wasn't sure what to make of this. He sighed and nodded his head. "Yes, I see it. Now  
what's the problem?"  
  
John tried to smile but the panic was already beginning to show through. "I already turned the  
video off."  
  
"That's impossible. I still see it." Crais moved out from behind his console and walked to the  
screen. "You must have done it wrong."  
  
John slipped past him and ran to another display screen. Typing rapidly, he brought up an image  
of Talyn's flight plan. "Look at this."   
  
Both men turned their attention to the holographic image and saw the same thing. There were  
two dots moving away from each other. One was Talyn and the other was the Vigilante. John  
shook his head. "I'm telling you-."  
  
Crais raised his hand to quiet the human and then moved it to his transponder. Handling the  
device wasn't necessary but he thought it would alert Talyn to the severity of the situation. The  
hybrid leviathan answered quickly and strongly.  
  
John watched the awkward little scene with a look of impatience. "What did he say?"  
  
Talyn's captain frowned. "He's been lying to us."  
  
  
  
"You think we can take him?"  
  
Aeryn turned to look at the excited young woman beside her. "What do you mean we?" She saw  
the corners of Chiana's lips slide into a smile.   
  
"We're a team." The Nebari lifted a pulse pistol and aimed it carefully at the soldier they were  
watching. She fingered the trigger lightly. "I think I can get him from here."  
  
A look of confusion spread across Aeryn's face. "Where the frell did you get that?" Before she  
was done asking, her hand was on the gun's holster.  
  
Chiana smiled. She shrugged and continued looking at the soldier.  
  
"Don't you ever frelling do that again." Aeryn lifted her own pulse rifle and pushed it up ahead of  
her. Getting out of this situation alive would need careful planning, not Chiana's antics.  
  
As they watched, the sirens and flashing lights continued above their heads. The entire corridor  
was bathed in eerie red light, casting shadows across the walls.   
  
The two women were at the original junction again. Aeryn looked down the corridor they had  
come down and spotted some of the ruin she had created. On her other side, the right corridor  
moved down paths unknown. The only other way was back towards the hangar. Unfortunately,  
that's where the guard was.  
  
She motioned for Chiana to look down the right corridor. "Go that way until you're out of sight.   
Once I distract him, come back and make for the marauder."  
  
"Then what?" Chiana obviously didn't like the idea. She wanted to fight.  
  
"Just get inside and stay there." Before her order could be challenged, Aeryn pushed the Nebari  
forward and stepped into the guard's line of sight. "Go now!"  
  
Chiana charged a few feet down the right corridor and then stopped. "Frell, frell, frell!" The  
constant swearing wasn't helping any. She would have to ask Aeryn about that later.   
  
Barr, the new hangar guard, was caught unaware by the pulse blast that flew over his head and  
scorched the ceiling above him. "What the frell?" He turned quickly and spotted a lone woman  
dressed in black leather. The soldier narrowed his eyes. "Two guesses who you are." He started  
to run forwards.  
  
Aeryn waited for her adversary to cut the distance between them in half and then made a break for  
it. She tore down the left corridor with her pulse rifle swinging at her side. The ex-peacekeeper  
prayed to Crichton's god that the soldier didn't already have his gun out. 'If you're there, frelling  
help me!'  
  
  
  
Chiana waited until they were both out of sight and then ran back towards the junction. She was  
still as agile as ever and made the turn quickly. Bursting into the hangar, she scanned the room  
for Aeryn's marauder. It was close by.  
  
The seasoned thief was surprised to find that the ship's door was not locked. Easing it open  
slowly, she took a look inside. The Marauder was powered down and darker than she would  
have expected. "Anyone home?"  
  
Keller patted himself on the back for keeping an extra pulse weapon stored on the ship. He aimed  
at the figure in the doorway. "Don't move."  
  
Chiana suddenly realized she was still holding her own gun. "Same to you."  
  
The tech paused for a moment as he recognized the voice. "You're Chiana?"  
  
She relaxed slightly. "Yeah. Who are you?"  
  
Keller didn't bother answering the question. There was something about this that had come out  
all wrong. Just as he had feared it would. "Where's Aeryn?"  
  
  
  
Barr reached the end of the corridor and stopped. He looked around and realized with confusion  
that his prey had disappeared. As he turned, the sound of gravel beneath his feet alerted him.   
"What happened here?" The soldier saw that a section of the wall appeared to have been blown  
out. Barr stepped through the hole.  
  
It was the interrogation room. He moved forward with his gun raised and took a look around.   
Near the back, the missing section of wall lay on the ground in mangled pieces. A low moaning  
could be heard below the alarms. "Who's there?"  
  
The moaning stopped for a moment. Something moved. "Barr, is that you?" A bloodied hand  
came up through the metal entanglement and waved. "Get me the frell out of here!"  
  
Barr regained his composure and rushed forward. He took the hand carefully in his and pulled it.   
There was a groan from below but no words. "Is there something I should know sir?"  
  
"Just frelling do it!" Despite the anger, the voice was of someone in great pain.  
  
The soldier pulled with all his might and dragged his superior out from under the debris. Barr was  
surprised to see the man rise to his feet immediately. "Should I call for a med-pack sir?"  
  
Jezik waved the man off angrily and then checked himself. Miraculously, he had survived the  
assault with only cuts and bruises. The worst of which had torn a gash through his left cheek.   
The peacekeeper growled. "I'm fine." He looked at the man who had helped him. "What are  
you doing here?"  
  
Barr took a step back. "We have a situation sir. The lieutenant sent me down to retrieve you."  
  
Jezik nodded. "What situation?" His entire body ached with each movement but somehow his  
resolve kept him from dropping. It would have to be enough for now.  
  
"The leviathan is here sir. Less than a quarter arn from our location." Barr watched a look of  
amusement spread across Jezik's face. "Also, Officer Sun is onboard."  
  
The head peacekeeper nodded. "That I already knew." Jezik wiped some soot of his clothes.   
"Come on. We can worry about her later." He started for the door.  
  
As soon as both men were out of sight, a door slid open at the end of the corridor. Aeryn never  
took her eyes off of it as she stepped outside. Whoever put it there had just saved her life. She  
had also heard the conversation. "Talyn?"  
  
  
  
They stared at each other for a moment in silence. Chiana was definitely perplexed by the man in  
front of her. The uniform said peacekeeper but this one didn't like what she was used to. Too  
much uncertainty in the eyes. There was something else about him too.  
  
"My name is Keller. I'm a tech." The words stumbled out of his mouth before he could check  
them. He watched her carefully for a reaction. Keller realized that he had administered one of the  
bruises that now adorned her face.  
  
Chiana's eyes narrowed as she realized where she had seen him before. "You piece of dren!" She  
pointed to her face. "You did this to me."  
  
Keller inched back a little. "I'm sorry. I thought you were one of them."  
  
"I've only been mistaken for a peacekeeper once in my life." Chiana smiled now. "And all those  
frelnicks are dead."  
  
The peacekeeper looked past her out into the hangar and nodded. "We're wasting time." He  
started moving towards the hatch but Chiana stuck herself in his way.  
  
"Where the frell do you think you're going?" Her face turned to stone.   
  
Keller motioned towards the hatch. "I'm going to get Aeryn." He lifted his pulse rifle and started  
moving again. "You stay here and keep quiet."  
  
Chiana shook her head angrily and pushed him back. "There's no way you're going without me!"  
  
"You'll be noticed." He realized the words wouldn't work even as he spoke them. "I can't risk  
you being captured again."  
  
"Who says I'm going to be captured." She glared at him. "Or have you forgotten that it was  
your fault in the first place."  
  
"Shut up, both of you!" Aeryn appeared beside them out of nowhere. The expression on her face  
made them both take a step back.   
  
"Aeryn, we need to get out of here now." Keller watched with dismay as she ignored his plea.   
  
"I can't do that now. Talyn is here." Aeryn grabbed the hatch lever and pulled down on it before  
Keller could get in another word. It slammed shut as she headed back towards the corridor  
junction.  
  
  
  
John stared at the approaching ship with a sinking feeling in his stomach. It had taken some time  
for him to comprehend what had just been said. Sure, he knew that Talyn was a bit off. But this  
wasn't what he had expected.  
  
"Talyn, take us away from here. I implore you." Crais slammed his fist down into a console in  
anger. He winced as flesh stopped dead against hardened steel. The ex-captain was not taking  
this mutiny well.  
  
That was sort of funny. "I don't think that's going to work." John smiled wryly and walked over  
to the man. "Think of something else."  
  
Crais narrowed his eyes. "There is nothing I can do Crichton. If Talyn wants to stay, then we're  
staying."   
  
The words removed any sense of humor from John's thoughts. It was beginning to dawn on him  
that they might be in serious trouble. "Can't you switch to manual or something?" His feet began  
to shift uncomfortably. "Do something!"  
  
"Panic is not a response we can afford right now." Crais pointed to all the instrument panels that  
stood around him. Each one was silent and dark. "We must trust that Talyn knows what he's  
doing."  
  
John's head dropped. "So basically we're screwed."  
  
"So, you're the famous John Crichton."  
  
Both John and Crais jumped at the unfamiliar voice. Without alerting them, Talyn had begun  
transmitting to the Vigilante. Jezik was on camera.  
  
The forward portal was now showing a distorted image of the Retrieval Squad leader. In between  
bursts of static, the peacekeeper's scarred face smiled at them.  
  
"Confident little bastard isn't he?" John ignored the question and turned to Crais. Their eyes met  
for a moment in mutual confusion.  
  
Crais forced himself to look at the man. He could feel Talyn studying that face even harder than  
he was. "He can afford to be."  
  
Jezik leaned in towards the camera and looked at his view of the leviathan hybrid. He smiled in  
anticipation of tearing it apart, finding out what made it work. The peacekeeper turned to the  
nearest subordinate. "Is the cannon at full power?"  
  
A nod from the soldier was all he needed. Jezik looked back at his opponents and put on a  
serious face. It was time to inspire some fear.   
  
"Order your ship to stand down now. I will ask only once before firing."  
  
  
  
She locked on to his ugly face through the sight scope of her pulse rifle. One good shot and the  
bastard would be bleeding on the floor. 'Wipe that smug little grin off your face.'  
  
Aeryn lowered the weapon and cursed herself. Killing the leader would only force the others into  
action. They'd fire on Talyn and then come after her. Shooting was suicide and she wasn't ready  
to go just yet.  
  
The peacekeeper stood a few feet in front of her. He was staring attentively at something that  
seemed to go up above him. Aeryn guessed that it was a wall monitor. 'Crais.'  
  
She lifted the gun again but didn't aim it at anything in particular. Her heart began to beat faster  
and then steadily returned to normal. Just like every other time before a fight. First comes the  
excitement, then the caution. Aeryn stepped into the room.  
  
"On the ground! All of you now!" She fired a warning shot at the ceiling and then twisted  
around to get a full view of the area. Jezik turned towards her with a confused look on his face.   
The smile was gone.  
  
The other nine soldiers in the room also reacted quickly to her arrival. The sound of cartridges  
slamming into place filled the room.  
  
"Shall I repeat myself?" Aeryn's eyes danced wildly around the room as she realized her mistake.   
She wasn't dealing with the normal peacekeeper variety. These foes wouldn't drop their guns,  
wouldn't surrender. Not for anyone.  
  
Jezik, surprisingly enough, was the only one to raise his hands. "No shooting!" He paused to  
look at her. "Remember the objective."  
  
She didn't have time to ponder the meaning behind that. Something happened.  
  
"Aeryn?"  
  
The owner of that name turned suddenly at the sound. To her right, on the wall monitor, was the  
enormous face of John Crichton. He was staring at her now with wide eyes.   
  
"What the hell are you doing there?"  
  
She froze. "I, I-."  
  
It was all the time that Jezik needed. He lunged forward and ripped the pulse rifle from Aeryn's  
grasp. The retrieval leader took her neck in his hand and squeezed. "Weapons! Aim the  
cannon!" Behind him, an officer went to work.  
  
John watched this scene in horror from Talyn's command. He turned to find Crais by his side.   
"What the hell do we do?"  
  
Bialar Crais was at a loss for words. The situation with Aeryn wasn't what was bothering him  
though. He raised a hand and pointed at something. "Crichton, do you see that?"  
  
The human followed his gaze. "That big cone-shaped thing?" John swallowed hard. "Don't tell  
me."  
  
"The immobilizer cannon. It's preparing to fire."  
  
John alternated his view from the cannon to Aeryn. She'd been dropped to the ground. There  
was no movement. "Can't Talyn just shoot the damn thing?"  
  
Crais shook his head. "Targeting the cannon could destroy the entire ship and Aeryn along with  
it." He let that thought sink in for both of them. "Besides, Talyn does not have sufficient energy  
to fire at the moment. He's still-."  
  
A loud roar cut him off in mid-sentence. John and Crais both looked up as an enormous red  
fireball exploded from Talyn's main weapon. It cut the distance between them and the vigilante in  
seconds.  
  
"I thought you said he couldn't-." John was silenced by what happened next. The fireball  
collided with the immobilizer cannon.  
  
Their shocked silence continued as a wave of flames cascaded over the peacekeeper ship. Talyn  
began to move away.  
  
John finally found the words. "Tell me that didn't just happen. 


	6. chapter 6

thanks to all who read.   
  
Fic: Walk It Off 6  
thanks to can for her help  
  
Aeryn felt like a fire was burning in her lungs. She managed to open her eyes and saw the  
peacekeeper still standing there with a wild look on his face. His rough hands were around her  
neck and squeezing tighter. 'This is it.'  
  
He opened his mouth and shouted to someone off to the side. Aeryn could only hear muffled  
sounds as he spoke. Her vision began to cloud up again and a heavy feeling was settling into her  
lungs. 'John!' She wondered if his face was still on the monitor. For some strange reason, she  
had to know for sure.  
  
Jezik began to grin as he saw the life drain out of Aeryn Sun's face. In that instant of rage he'd  
managed to forget the one clear objective of his mission. Luckily, for both of them in fact, she  
didn't go down quite so easily. The peacekeeper felt a horrendous pain between his legs and  
loosened his grip.  
  
She pulled her leg back with all her might and sent it in for another attack. Before the move could  
be completed, Aeryn felt air rush into her mouth again. She suddenly dropped to the ground and  
hit it hard with a loud thud.  
  
"You bitch!" Jezik's footing slipped and he was soon down on the ground as well. He looked  
over at her from his resting spot and cringed at the pain running through him. Objective or no,  
she would pay for that.  
  
Aeryn found herself staring straight up at the ceiling. She tried to move, to turn her gaze to the  
giant wall screen. Maybe he was still there, watching her. Would he care? 'Don't do this! Be  
strong now. Worry about him later!'  
  
As it turned out, both those options became unavailable to her. The soldiers were suddenly all  
yelling to their superior about something. Aeryn couldn't make it out. All she knew was that the  
feeling was returning to her arms and that the ground was shaking beneath her.  
  
Jezik forced himself up and ran to the nearest control station. The ship's sensors had detected an  
energy surge from the leviathan in front of it. He looked up at the wall screen and saw John  
Crichton's surprised expression. "Switch to outside view!"  
  
A testament to the obedience of his men, the view changed immediately to capture Talyn's front  
side. The main cannon was now moving to put them in its sights.   
  
He gestured to the closest technician. "You told me it didn't have enough power to fire! That  
we'd be safe for another half arn!"  
  
The threatened soldier stood up defiantly. "Those were my readings, sir." He had no further time  
to argue his point.  
  
Aeryn, Jezik, and every other soldier felt the room take a violent lurch to the side. Consoles  
exploded in flames and darkness set in.  
  
  
"Tell me that didn't just happen!"  
  
John stared out the window in muted horror as the Vigilante was engulfed in flames. He tried to  
ask the question again but no sound left his mouth. 'What was the last thing you said to her?   
What the hell was she doing there." John finally managed to blink.   
  
"That can't be it."  
  
Crais turned his attention away from the human and focused on the destruction that Talyn had just  
caused. Immediately, his mind began to fill with questions, both his and the gun ship's. Of these,  
the loudest one belonged to the ex-captain himself. 'What have you done?'  
  
The neural center above command began to beep in increasingly loud intervals. Talyn was  
suddenly very aware of what he had done.   
  
It was the noise that tore John from his view of the peacekeeper ship. The numbness inside of  
him suddenly replaced by white hot rage. He turned around to face his former adversary.   
  
"Crais!" He ran forward and grabbed the Sebacean by the collar of his black coat. With all the  
strength he could muster, John picked Crais up and slammed him against the wall.  
  
Bialar was more than a little surprised by this sudden act. "Crichton! What the frell are you  
doing?"  
  
"You said Talyn couldn't fire!" He shoved the man again and again as he spoke. "Not enough  
energy, that's what you said!"  
  
The auto-guns came online and aimed directly for where the two men were having it out.   
Actually, the argument was a bit one-sided so far.   
  
Noticing Talyn's move, Crais snapped back into reality. "Talyn, don't!" He managed to raise his  
hands and push the angry human off of him. "I order you not to fire!"  
  
John quickly pieced together what was happening and turned around. He saw the guns pointed at  
him and swallowed involuntarily. "Crais!"  
  
Crais used all the force his mind could affect against Talyn. 'Stand down!' He breathed a sigh of  
relief when the guns began sliding back into their storage compartments.  
  
"I was not lying to you Crichton. Talyn's energy levels were not sufficiently high to fire." Bialar  
pulled his collar open wide. A feeling of claustrophobia had begun to set in along with the  
realization that Aeryn might actually be dead.  
  
"Then what the hell was that?" John pointed a finger towards the burning mass outside. "Why  
didn't you see that coming?"  
  
He searched for a reason that would satisfy the human. "It's possible that Talyn used energy from  
a different source. Starburst, perhaps."  
  
John considered this a moment and finally nodded. "Maybe."  
  
Crais felt the urge to be alone begin to take form. He wasn't sure if the idea was truly his or  
inserted by Talyn. "The conduit junction on tier three is failing. Go fix it."  
  
The human stared at his traveling companion with a look of amazement. "What? No, we have to  
see if-."  
  
"Do it!" The anger in Crais' voice was enough to get the point across. For once, Crichton  
obeyed. The ex-captain watched as he walked to the door and left.  
  
Once he was alone with Talyn again, Crais raised his eyes to the neural center above. Red light  
poured down and gave his face a demonic appearance. Bialar got only silence from the gun ship.   
The worry that had been growing inside him now appeared to be justified.  
  
"Starburst is at full power, isn't it?" The sentence didn't come out like a question.  
  
  
  
"Frell!"  
  
The shrill cry filled the hanger and echoed off the walls in a decidedly ominous way. Of the lights  
that had once bathed the room, only one emergency bulb remained. As a result, the room sat in  
eerie red darkness.  
  
More noise crept up from the center of the room. A marauder lay on its side in a heap of mangled  
metal and wires. Pounding was coming from inside.  
  
The small ship's hatch suddenly burst open and fell to the ground below. A grey figure pulled  
itself up and looked around.  
  
"What? Are you hurt?" Keller looked up from his spot at the bottom of the marauder and  
watched Chiana as she scrambled to get out.  
  
The Nebari glanced down at him with an annoyed look on her face. "No, I didn't see that one  
coming."  
  
"How could you have?" Keller didn't understand what she was talking about but he really didn't  
care. Before a response came, he turned to the onboard computer and began typing as fast as his   
finger could afford to.  
  
Chiana pulled herself up on top of the marauder and looked around. "Looks like someone kicked  
the draz out of this place." Except for a few other ships, most of the Vigilante's aerial support  
unit had been destroyed in the explosion.  
  
"Talyn must have destroyed the immobilizer cannon." Keller smiled as the technical readings  
appeared on his monitor. "Just in time too."  
  
That didn't sound quite as good to Chiana. "He blew it up? We're not in trouble are we?"  
  
Keller shook his head. "Don't worry. If this ship is one of the new models, and I think it is, then  
its built to withstand that. The immobilizer cannon separates from the main body as soon as it  
gets hit."  
  
"And if it isn't one of the newer models?"  
  
He stopped typing for a moment. "Then we've got a few microts at best."  
  
  
  
It was the darkness that finally got to her. She'd been slipping in and out of consciousness in the  
moments since the attack, each time leaving and returning to some other place. The contrast  
between a flashing white light and the blinding darkness of the control room.  
  
Aeryn opened her eyes and attempted to gain some idea of where she was. The area around her  
was littered with debris and uprooted cables. She could hear sparks going off in the distance.   
Most too far off to see.   
  
The wall monitor was dead and pieces of the screen now hung perilously down over the exposed  
floor she lay on. Aeryn found herself able to move better than she'd anticipated. Standing up was  
not the tremendous effort it had been before.  
  
"Is anyone there?" She repeated the question again but got no answer. There didn't seem to be  
any other survivors. 'No, you're not that lucky." Her eyes searched the ground for any  
movement. They found her pulse rifle instead.  
  
As far as personal items went, the peacekeeper rifle was probably one of the few things she took  
care with. Understandable, since she'd been taught never to lose it in battle. It now lay a few feet  
away from her. Apparently unharmed.  
  
Aeryn walked over and picked it off the ground. She checked the cartridge and found everything  
in working order. Then the voice came.  
  
"Looks like you've won after all."   
She turned towards the sound and aimed her weapon. "Who's there?" Aeryn flicked on the  
attached light and a man's face appeared on the ground in front of her. Jezik's.  
  
The retrieval squad leader sat uncomfortably against one of the few consoles that had not been  
damaged in the attack. His eyes had taken on a slightly vacant appearance. Still, he was very  
much alive. "I'm right here."  
  
Aeryn lifted her pulse rifle a little higher as she moved towards him. All the anger that had been  
building over the past few days stirred inside her. She just needed a reason.  
  
"I should have been more careful." Jezik motioned over towards a body that lay near him. "Can't  
trust these techs to get anything right." The maliciousness behind his voice was gone.  
  
She kept her eyes narrow and on him. There would be no sympathy this time. "I'm going to kill  
you now." Simple words, yes. But from Aeryn Sun's mouth, they were chilling.  
  
Jezik coughed loudly and then shook his head. He looked up to meet Aeryn's cold gaze. "They'll  
send someone else. Even if I don't live to see it, they'll get him."  
  
Aeryn knelt down beside him. "You'll never get Talyn. I will never let it happen."  
  
He nodded forcefully and a drop of blood fell from the gash on his forehead. "I think High  
Command figured that out already."   
  
She was suddenly confused. "Then who do you mean?"  
  
Jezik grinned. "You don't know do you?"  
  
'Don't let him play with you!' Aeryn shoved the muzzle of her rifle into Jezik's mouth. He was  
no longer smiling. "I'm going to pull this out in a microt. When I do, you're going to tell me  
what the frell you meant."  
  
There was no argument from the peacekeeper.  
  
  
  
Crais dropped to his knees and spat blood onto the floor in front of him. The pain searing  
through his body was finally beginning to subside. He hardly noticed.  
  
Above, the neural center grew quiet again and waited for him to respond.   
  
"I apologize." The words came more forcefully than the blood did. Crais started to pick himself  
up slowly. The scolding was over.  
  
The ex-captain looked out the window and spotted what was left of the Vigilante. The once  
forbidding ship now floated lopsided in space. Bits of debris hung around it like a shield. Crais  
wiped his mouth clean. 'Still there.'  
  
Before he could say anything else, a comm channel opened up with a burst of static. A familiar  
voice came through the console in front of him.   
  
"Crichton, Crais? Anybody there?"  
  
He stumbled over to the nearest console and pressed the button. "Chiana? Where are you?"  
  
The Nebari's tone took a turn towards the annoyed. "On the frelling ship! Listen, we're all ready  
to bail here."  
  
Crais smiled despite the pain he was feeling. "I'll have Talyn open up hangar bay 2." He was  
about to cut the transmission when something occurred to him. "Is Aeryn with you?"  
  
Chiana responded immediately. "Yeah, she just got back."  
  
"Can I speak to her?"  
  
There was a long pause this time. Finally, the young woman answered. "I don't think she feels  
like talking." The line went dead.  
  
Bialar considered what that might mean. Perhaps it was better to wait and see for the moment.   
He located Crichton with his transponder.   
  
"Crichton, I have news."  
  
  
  
"So, let me get this straight." John stood in front of Crais now with a slightly perturbed look on  
his face. "You realized that the Vigilante wasn't completely gone, and you decided to wait before  
telling me?"  
  
Crais looked at the human with dead eyes. He couldn't tell the truth, though this sounded almost  
as bad. "There were some problems with Talyn. I couldn't get through to you."  
  
"What kind of problems?" John wasn't going to let the matter sit. "What kind of-."  
  
Bialar raised a hand. "Nothing that affects you, Crichton."  
  
John was still suspicious but he couldn't quite stay angry at the moment. They were, at the  
moment, waiting for Aeryn and the others to arrive. That fact was having some affect on him.  
  
The doors to command slid open unceremoniously and Aeryn Sun walked in. Her black leather  
coat was torn in several places and small cuts and scrapes adorned her stern face. Behind her,  
Chiana and Keller were moving quickly to catch up.   
  
As soon as Aeryn was past the doorway, something happened. Without saying a word, she  
turned suddenly and passed her hand over the door controls. The opening to command slammed  
shut in Chiana's face. Fist pounding began immediately.  
  
Aeryn turned back to the two men in front of her and frowned. She would have preferred to be  
alone with Crais at the moment but there was nothing that could be done.   
  
"Aeryn, are you alright?" Seeing that Crichton wasn't going to speak, Crais took the initiative.   
He was not prepared for what happened next.  
  
The distance between them closed in seconds. Aeryn had her pulse pistol out and was aiming it  
directly at Crais' chest. As she did this, the auto-guns dropped from the wall.  
  
"Talyn! Don't!" The order came out of her mouth before they were even ready to aim. Talyn  
obeyed and the guns retreated.  
  
Her eyes burned into the ex-captain's with an intensity that had not been there for quite some  
time. "You frelling bastard! I should kill you right now"  
  
Watching the scene unfold, John became immediately confused. "Aeryn? What are you-."  
  
"Shut up John! Not now!" Her focus went back to Crais. "You knew all this time and you never  
said a thing!" Aeryn pushed the weapon against his chest. "You knew!"  
  
Up until that moment, Crais was uncertain as to which secret she was referring to. Then he saw  
the tears begin to fall from Aeryn's eyes and it came to him.   
  
She didn't wait for him to respond. "No more lies. Take me to him."  
  
Bialar finally managed a reply. "I can't just-."  
  
"I thought he was dead! You let me believe it!" Aeryn wiped her face with one of her sleeves.   
She continued to aim the pulse rifle. It never strayed from its target.  
  
John had the sinking suspicion that he knew who they were talking about. He looked to Crais.   
"Will you please tell me what the hell she's talking about?" It didn't come out like a request.  
  
Crais looked from Aeryn to Crichton several times before answering. He'd hoped to avoid this  
situation. Had even come close to telling the human. But it was too late for that now.  
  
"Velorek. She's talking about Velorek." 


	7. chapter 7

Chiana walked in step behind her Sebacean companion as they marched towards Talyn's  
command center. She could sense that something had happened. Good or bad she couldn't tell.   
It was all clouded in her mind. Her eyes drifted to Aeryn's right hand. It was held, no frozen in  
place, above a pulse pistol. 'Someone's in trouble. At least it isn't frelling me this time.'  
  
Behind her, Keller also walked in silence. His head turned from side to side as he walked, taking  
in everything that was the leviathan gun ship. A being he had helped create so very long ago.   
The peacekeeper tech ignored the two women in front of him.   
  
The three of them finally reached the door to command. Aeryn lifted a hand up and slipped it  
over the controls. A few steps back, Chiana could see that the hand was trembling slightly. The  
metal door slid open and she entered. Her gun already rising towards the man inside.  
  
The Nebari stepped forward to follow when the entrance slammed shut in her face. "What the  
frell!?" Chiana tucked her head back just in time to avoid losing the tip of her grey nose.   
  
Sounds of pounding fists echoed down the hallway as Chiana fought to bypass her restricted  
access. "Frell, dren," and other such words escaped her lips.   
  
Keller had stopped a bit further down the passageway to stare at the ceiling. "Never in my  
wildest imagination..."   
  
"Frell! She never gives in does she? It's always none of my frelling business! After all-." Chiana  
finally managed to calm herself down and stop hitting the door. Breathing heavily, she turned to  
her other companion.  
  
He felt the pair of eyes burning into him from down the hall and broke his stunned gaze. The girl  
was standing at the door, apparently angry, with fire in her eyes. "What?"  
  
"She locked us out!"   
  
Keller suddenly realized what was going on. He should have expected something like this to  
happen. After all, that was the point of his being here. "We should just wait out here."  
  
Chiana was in no way calmed by his words. She narrowed her eyes at him. "What the frell is  
your problem?! You're the only peacekeeper I've met who doesn't like to growl and blow dren  
up!"  
  
She paused as if trying to calm herself again. "And for once it's pissing me off."  
  
The tech stared blankly at her for a moment before speaking. Images of the people he had killed  
flashed in his memory. It was a short list. "It wouldn't do any good to go in there. Aeryn needs  
to do whatever she's going to do."  
  
Chiana tilted her head as curiosity set in. "And what do you know about it?"  
  
  
Keller now had to ignore his surroundings for a little while. Explanations were required of him.   
"I worked with a man that Aeryn once knew. Someone she thought was dead."  
  
Her eyes went wide as connections snapped into place. "That peacekeeper guy! Velorek, the one  
who worked on Moya?"  
  
He nodded curtly. "His execution was never carried out. I imagine that Captain Crais has some  
things to account for."  
  
Chiana smiled at this. "Aeryn's gonna kill him."  
  
Keller returned her gesture with an equally amused grin. "That would be the general idea."  
  
  
  
Aeryn lifted her pulse weapon and fired. The beams of light exploded around the room and sent  
sparks flying over the three of them. Her eyes never deviated from Crais' face as she pulled the  
trigger.   
  
"Aeryn! Stop it!" John grabbed the rifle and tried to force it out of her grip. He found this feat  
harder to do than expected. She pushed him off without ever taking a glance in his direction.  
  
"I know that you must be incredibly pissed right now. That's understandable." John took a step  
back to make sure he wasn't in immediate firing range. "Why don't you just calm down for a  
second."  
  
She finally turned to look at the human. His pleas only made her angrier. Once Aeryn had  
believed that he understood how she felt about this. She wasn't so sure now.  
  
"I thought you'd want this." Her gun hand started to shake slightly. "Crais dead, that's what you  
were hoping for isn't it?" The words spat out of her mouth, making them difficult to understand.  
  
John didn't like where this was going. "Sure, I never liked the guy. But you can't just kill him  
like this. Not now."  
  
Crais, who had been standing silent up to this point, finally opened his mouth to speak. "I  
appreciate your assistance Crichton, but you are mistaken." He stepped forward until the pulse  
rifle's muzzle was touching his chest. "She has the right."  
  
Interestingly enough, this statement threw her off a bit. Aeryn looked at John and saw that  
compassion she knew so well. Maybe she was the one who didn't understand.  
  
"Tell me! Why did you keep this from me?" Her voice calmed slightly but the gun remained  
aimed and ready.  
  
  
"I could not kill the one man that knew every facet of this ship. That would have been a tactical  
mistake." Crais' eyes never left Aeryn's. Remorse, yes. Shame, out of the question.  
  
"After the encounter with your mother, Talyn and I felt it best to leave the past as it was." At his  
words, the gun ship lit up in protest.  
  
Aeryn looked around at the flashing lights and was suddenly enraged again. "Talyn? You two  
felt it best! What gives you the right?!"  
  
Crais stood firm. "There is little my mind is able to hide from him."  
  
She took a step away from the ex-captain and looked up. The neural center above had gone  
uncharacteristically silent. Aeryn couldn't believe what she had just heard. Talyn had done  
wrong before, that was true. But never before had it seemed like this much of a betrayal.  
  
Aeryn's left hand rose slowly and touched the cold surface of the neural center. "I gave you my  
father's name," she whispered. Her face shifted from anger to a look of terrible defeat. Both  
hand and gun slid down to her sides.  
  
Moving slowly, John placed himself between her and Bialar. He stayed respectfully away and  
never made any move to touch her. "Aeryn?"  
  
She looked up at him with vacant eyes. The distance was gone in that moment. It was just the  
two of them again and yet somehow the same. "What?"  
  
"We'll get him out. You understand me?" He turned to look at Crais. "He'll tell us where  
Velorek is and we'll go get him. Ok?"  
  
Aeryn's expression did not change. She lowered her eyes to the floor and said, "Ok."  
  
  
  
"So, what? You helped make Talyn?"  
  
Keller looked up from the conduit he was examining and nodded. He didn't have the mental  
willpower to answer verbally at this point. All he could do was stare. The tech began to move  
slowly down the hallway, away from command.  
  
"Pretty amazing isn't he?" Chiana tried to keep her mind off what else was going on. It seemed  
easier to just cool it for the moment. "I've never seen anything else like him."  
  
He shook his head. "This ship is an abomination." Keller's demeanor suddenly darkened. In  
Talyn he saw everything that he had worked to stop. All for nothing.  
  
"I'll grant you, Talyn is kind a messed up. But-."  
  
Keller shook his head angrily. "You've been on Moya for what? Almost three cycles?" He  
gestured towards the peacekeeper-like designs. "This isn't what a leviathan is built for."  
  
"So why'd you do it?"  
  
Chiana stared intently as the man stepped away from the conduit he was looking at. She could  
see in his face that it wasn't wonder he was filled with. No, something much worse. The Nebari  
had never felt completely comfortable aboard Talyn. Now more than ever.  
  
Keller sighed. "I didn't have a choice." He glanced over at the door to command and saw that it  
was still shut. Waving to Chiana, he now began to run down the hall.   
  
"Where the frell are you going?" Chiana watched in confusion as he disappeared around a corner.   
Somehow she knew this wasn't going to end well.  
  
"Come here!" Keller's voice echoed from down the corridor.  
  
She broke into a sprint and was soon close behind the peacekeeper. Chiana rolled her eyes angrily  
as she caught up. "Where?"  
  
The tech suddenly stopped and pointed towards a door on his left. "Pilot's den."  
  
That same feeling she had when warning Crais came back to the young woman. Looking into  
Keller's eyes she saw darkness. "What are you going to do?"  
  
He moved to open the door. "Do you trust Crais?"  
  
The question was just what she had expected. "No, but I don't trust you either."  
  
Keller smiled. "I wouldn't ask you to." He pointed into the room beyond the door. "I have to  
stop this ship before-."  
  
Chiana cut him off with a wave of the pulse pistol she was carrying. It was the one she had taken  
from Aeryn. "I won't let you hurt Talyn."  
  
He shook his head. "Listen to me. This ship is getting stronger." Keller met the Nebari's  
probing eyes and nodded. "You can't trust it or Crais with that kind of power."   
  
Keller paused for a moment before continuing. "You can't imagine what Talyn would do."  
  
Chiana lowered her pistol. Things were somehow falling into place. "Actually, I think I can."   
She walked past him into the room.   
  
The door slid shut behind them.  
  
  
  
She straightened herself up and looked coldly around the room. This place had never seemed like  
home to her, not like Moya. Strange, since it was the closest to a command carrier she had been  
since defecting. Aeryn stopped when her eyes reached Crais.   
  
"Tell me."  
  
Bialar nodded slightly and turned to look out the forward portal. He could still see the drifting  
Vigilante outside. "After you betrayed him, High Co-."  
  
"Don't think you wanna be making her any madder, Crais." John snuck the comment in as quietly  
as he could. Nevertheless, both of the Sebaceans in front of him looked annoyed by his intrusion.  
  
"It's the truth." Aeryn reached up to wipe the sweat off her brow. She motioned for Crais to  
continue.  
  
Talyn's neural center caught the ex-captain's eye. 'How easy it is for you.' He met Aeryn's eyes  
again.  
  
"High Command instructed me to discover Velorek's treachery and then dispose of him." Crais  
braced himself. "He was tortured for arns, days, but never spoke a word."  
  
He smiled slightly. "I disobeyed orders and had him incarcerated. Not a peacekeeper prison, but  
one I knew from outside contacts. No one would know who he was. Only I would know he was  
alive."  
  
Aeryn tensed to keep from reacting violently again. "But they know now."  
  
"My escape from the peacekeepers was not perfectly planned. There was enough among my  
personal things to indicate that."  
  
Standing apart from them, John shook his head in understanding. Like his Nebari friend, he was  
beginning to see how the pieces fit together. "If they can't get Talyn...."  
  
"....They'll get the only man who knows how he's built." Aeryn finished the thought.  
  
"Precisely. I-." As Crais spoke, his transponder came to life with images of something outside.   
He turned away from Crichton and Aeryn. Images where flashing through his mind.  
  
"What are you doing?" Aeryn's question did not come out of concern.  
  
Bialar turned to face her again. "The man you brought onboard. Where is he?"  
  
  
The DRD watched them as they entered the room. It retreated slowly into the darkness, making  
sure not to be seen.  
  
Keller walked up to the pilot's console and ran his hands over the cold metal. He could see  
frayed wires protruding from somewhere down below. Someone had been plugged in. The  
peacekeeper tech looked over at his companion. "Close the door please."  
  
"No problem." Chiana turned and waved her hand over the door controls. They shut firmly and  
took the remaining light from the room. "Uh?"  
  
He shook his head. "There should be a light source around there somewhere."  
  
Chiana found it and the room lit up in a bright yellow glow. "Ok, now what?"  
  
Keller slipped around the side of the console and began tapping each of the arrays. Finally, a  
small panel opened up in front of him. A series of red and black round buttons lit up. Exactly  
what he was looking for. "Look at this."  
  
The Nebari went to join him and spotted the small console. "Great. Some more buttons to  
push."  
  
He ignored her and began talking quickly. "Didn't any of you ever wonder why it was so easy for  
the retrieval squad to almost destroy Talyn? Immobilizer cannons are not nearly the strongest  
weapon peacekeepers have."  
  
Chiana shrugged. "I didn't think about it."  
  
"Talyn was designed to be the most formidable ship in the peacekeeper armada. Starburst is  
important of course, but he was to be more dangerous than anything else when fully grown."   
  
Keller looked up to face her now. "But he won't."  
  
She just shook her head. "And why is that?" Chiana wondered if they guy would ever get to a  
valid point.  
  
"Velorek went to High Command without informing Crais. He convinced them that a ship like  
this could be a liability. Especially since we didn't know if it would cooperate." He turned his  
attention to the small console again. "They allowed him to build in certain restrictions.   
Safeguards that only they could circumvent."  
  
"But they're not working are they?"  
  
Keller sighed. "The blast that hit the Vigilante. It's strength was far beyond the limits." He  
pulled on the console and revealed more buttons and wiring. "I can stop him."  
  
Chiana stood there with her mouth slightly open. She hoped her instincts were right about the  
tech. Before she could respond, her comm went off.  
  
"Chiana!" Aeryn's voice betrayed none of the emotion she was feeling. It was back to business  
for the moment. "Where are you?"  
  
The peacekeeper and the Nebari stared at each other. Neither knew quite how to respond.   
  
"Do not allow him to touch Talyn!" It was Crais' voice now.  
  
Keller took a step back from the console. He looked sternly at Chiana. "You must be objective  
about this. They won't be able to."   
  
She nodded slowly. "Just do what you gotta do." Chiana turned towards the door.  
  
  
  
Aeryn ran down the corridor as fast as she could. Her anger at Talyn was great but she wouldn't  
let him be harmed by any peacekeeper.  
  
'That's why he saved me isn't it? To keep Velorek from the peacekeepers and to get himself on  
Talyn.'  
  
She could understand the first. "Chiana!"   
  
There was no answer from the comm.  
  
As Aeryn turned the corner that led to the pilot's den, she was frozen by the strange sight.   
Dozens of DRD's were charging towards the same place from the opposite direction. They knew  
more than she did at this point.  
  
"Aeryn, wait."   
  
The strangest sight, however, was Chiana standing in front of the door. The younger woman held  
a stern look on her face and had both her hands clenched into fists.  
  
"Chiana? I told you to-." Aeryn stopped talking as she realized what was happening. 'Stupid  
girl!'  
  
"Please trust me Aeryn." The words sounded annoyingly like dren as they left her lips. Chiana  
wasn't used to asking that of people. "You can't go in."  
  
Aeryn narrowed her eyes. "I'm not asking you. Let me by or I will remove you."  
  
Chiana stood motionless. She met the ex-peacekeeper's glare with equal force. "No."  
  
Enough had happened in the past day to warrant an angry reaction from Aeryn Sun. She was not  
about to disappoint. Aeryn took a step forward and pushed.   
  
The Nebari was thrown back against the wall but quickly recovered. 'Frell, frell, frell!' This  
time, the swearing really did help a little.   
  
Chiana prepared herself as Aeryn moved to push her even harder. Collecting all her strength, she  
threw her own fist forward and send it careening into the other woman's face.  
  
The punch was unexpected and landed exactly where it was intended. Aeryn, way past shocked,  
fell back and raised a hand to her throbbing cheek. "You hit me!."  
  
Chiana nodded as she raised both her fists in front of her. "You pushed me!"  
  
Whatever their relationship was, it was about to be tested. 


	8. chapter 8

Fic: Walk It Off 8   
rating: pg-13   
setting: post fractures   
note: Thanks to can for all her help.   
  
  
The large room sat at peace again while events continued to grow steadily worse outside. Broken consoles sparked every microt or so and sent an eerie glow over the crumbling walls. The once mighty ship was falling to pieces around the last surviving members of it's crew.   
  
Sitting in the position she had left him in, Jezik sighed to himself and made another feeble attempt to stand. Both his legs were covered in sticky warm blood from where Aeryn Sun had shot him. He hadn't really expected her to do it. Then again, the revelation he'd given her was pretty big.   
  
The peacekeeper had been briefed about that.   
  
The sound of something crashing to the floor was followed immediately by loud cursing. A figure rose from the debris and looked around. "Is anyone there?"   
  
He recognized Carr's voice and spoke a silent thanks. Jezik had been hit far too closely by this mission to let it pass him by now.   
  
"I'm over here."   
  
Carr turned excitedly towards the sound and raised his pulse rifle. The light at its end switched on and bathed his superior's face in harsh white light.   
  
"Point that frelling thing somewhere else!" Jezik lifted his hand to block the glare. "Come help me."   
  
The soldier nodded and scurried over. "I thought for sure you were dead, sir."   
  
Jezik looked up at the man in annoyance. "Not yet."   
  
Carr lifted him up and they were both soon leaning against one of the last remaining consoles that worked. Jezik reached into the pocket on the front of his uniform and pulled out a small vial. 'For emergencies only.' He smiled as the issue orders came back.   
  
He placed it in his mouth and immediately felt a jolt. Newfound energy coursed through his tired body. Jezik turned to his subordinate. "Open a secure channel. I believe it's time."   
  
"How do I do that, sir?" Carr stared vacantly forward. "I don't have technical training."   
  
Jezik raised his hands in exasperation. "Frell, I'll do it myself!" He pressed a series of buttons and static was suddenly pouring out from a small speaker. Typing in the appropriate code, the squad commander waited for the line to clear.   
  
"Cutting it a little short don't you think?"   
  
The voice on the other end sounded angry but not any more than Jezik had known him to be. He nodded his head. "I've been indisposed."   
  
Keller's reply held not one bit of sympathy to it. "I'm surprised she didn't kill you."   
  
A thin smile spread across Jezik's lips. "Speaking of killing, how are you feeling?"   
  
Inside the rudimentary pilot's den, Keller narrowed his eyes. The memory of what he had done floated back to him. It wasn't sadness or remorse. He was just surprised at how little effect at all it had caused. "Better than expected. The captain was not difficult."   
  
"I'm sure he wasn't." Jezik shook his head. 'Frelling techs.'   
  
"I'm almost done here. Begin bringing the weapons systems, if you have any, back online." Keller was moving as quickly as possible. There was no knowing how large his window would be.   
  
Jezik motioned for Carr to start whatever preparations he could. "Any difficulty on Talyn?"   
  
This time it was Keller's turn to smile. "None at all. I even have an assistant."   
  
The higher ranked peacekeeper was intrigued. "Who?"   
  
Keller shoved the small console he'd been working with back into place. "The Nebari."   
  
  
  
Chiana prepared herself as Aeryn moved to push her even harder. Collecting all her strength, she threw her own fist forward and send it careening into the other woman's face.   
  
The punch was unexpected and landed exactly where it was intended. Aeryn, way past shock, fell back and raised a hand to her throbbing cheek. "You hit me!."   
  
Chiana nodded as she raised both her fists in front of her. "You pushed me!"   
  
The ex-peacekeeper backed up slightly and tensed. She had no time to be playing games with this girl right now. There were more important matters to attend to. 'There always are.' Aeryn shook the thought away.   
  
"You will not do that again. Just get out of the way."   
  
Chiana didn't doubt for a second that the older woman would get past her eventually. It was just about delaying that fact as much as possible. She smiled in a way that annoyed Aeryn so much and shook her head. "No way."   
  
Without another word, Aeryn shot forward and threw the Nebari to the side. She turned her head in silence to watch as Chiana slid down the corridor and came to rest against the opposite wall. "I told you."   
  
"Aeryn! Please, just listen to me. We can'-." Chiana stopped talking when she saw the look on Aeryn's face. It wasn't going to work.   
  
Her hands began to tremble with anger. How could that tralk have the nerve to tell her what was right for Talyn. "Shut up!"   
  
Aeryn stepped forward and kicked the door in front of her in with a sharp kick. It wasn't locked and slid open easily. She pulled her pulse rifle out and aimed it at the man standing ahead of her.   
  
Keller looked up in surprise as the door opened. He breathed a sigh of relief that the call had ended moments before. "Aeryn, wha-?"   
  
She fired a single shot that caught him directly in the chest. Aeryn wanted no explanation for what was going on. The Sebacean turned and headed back out the door. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him crumple to the ground.   
  
Chiana watched in silent horror as the woman stepped back out into the corridor. She'd heard the gunshot but could scarcely believe it. "You just shot him!?"   
  
Aeryn turned her attention to the voice for only a moment. "I have more important things to worry about." She turned to walk away as the girl whispered something about frelling peacekeepers.   
  
Chiana wasn't done. She watched Aeryn walk away as the anger continued to build. After all this, still nothing had changed.   
  
"This whole Velorek thing came along at just the right time didn't it? Something else to help you forget. So you could shoot him. So you could ignore John, ignore me."   
  
The words reached her ears and froze every movement in her body. At that moment, Aeryn knew once again what rage felt like. She turned around slowly.   
  
"You don't know what you're talking about."   
  
Chiana forced herself to sit up. She might not be able to stand just yet but at least she'd look dignified. "Frell you! We've known each other for two cycles. I know what you think of me. That I'm a tralk."   
  
Aeryn was finding it difficult to breath all of a sudden. With all the dren piling up against her, this just had to come up now didn't it? "I, I-."   
  
The Nebari cut her off. "You know, I saw something about Talyn. Even came to see Crais before going after you." She shook her head. "Someone's going to die on this ship. I can feel it."   
  
The ex-peacekeeper narrowed her eyes at this new piece of information. She wasn't sure how much she believed Chiana's abilities were real but they had been right before. "Who?"   
  
Chiana smiled. "I don't know! Frell, it could be me." Her voice calmed now.   
  
"But I still came."   
  
Disbelief turned to realization as Aeryn watched the younger woman. The anger was gone now. She took a step in her direction. "I don't think you're a tralk."   
  
Chiana kept her eyes glued to the floor as she nodded. "Yeah you do." Even as she finished speaking, something terrible appeared before her. Not a flash though. This was much worse.   
  
"Aeryn!"   
  
It was too late. The fist came down against the back of Aeryn's neck and sent her forward. The ex-peacekeeper slammed into Chiana and pinned her to the ground.   
  
Standing by the doorway, Keller now looked every bit the peacekeeper he had been bred to be. There was no more softness. He smiled at Chiana.   
  
"I appreciate the help."   
  
As she watched helplessly, he took off down the corridor to who knew where. Chiana struggled against Aeryn's weight but couldn't move. "Aeryn, get up."   
  
It took her a moment to realize that Aeryn wasn't breathing.   
  
  
  
John ran his tired hands through the damp mess of hair that sat atop his head. He glanced up at the man standing across from him and didn't like what he saw. "Listen, Crais."   
  
The ex-captain looked up from the console he was not working on and sighed. "What is it Crichton?"   
  
The human smiled. "You sound like you've heard this before."   
  
Bialar couldn't help a small grin from forming. "Indeed I have. In much more difficult circumstances as well. He paused for a moment. "I hope you are a bit more restrained than your counterpart was."   
  
John frowned at the thought. "We're exactly the same." The next thought brought a good smile to his face. He needed it. "If he beat the crap out of you, chances are I could go off at any second." John put on his best Jack Nicholson face.   
  
Crais was not amused. Before he could respond, Talyn interrupted with an alert.   
  
"What is it?" John had also lost his sense of humor for the moment.   
  
"One of Talyn's hangar doors has opened. The marauder is leaving." Crais motioned towards the forward portal.   
  
The marauder that Aeryn and the others had brought onboard was now flying through space again. It seemed to be headed in the direction of the Vigilante.   
  
"Only the tech could escape undetected." Crais fumed as he realized that his fears were correct. "Talyn, prepare to fire!"   
  
John ran up and grabbed the other man's shoulder. "Wait, stop! He might not be alone." He pulled his comm out of a pant pocket and brought it close to his mouth.   
  
"Aeryn, Chiana, you there?" There was no answer. "Come on!"   
  
Crais kept his eye on the escaping ship. "Crichton, if it reaches the Vigilante....."   
  
"Shut up! Just give me a second." John tried them again.   
  
Both men growled as the marauder disappeared into the larger ship's hangar. Safely inside, it would be well protected. Only a sustained attack that Talyn could not provide would fully destroy the Vigilante.   
  
"It's too late." Bialar slammed his fist down in defeat.   
  
"Yeah, I can see that." John shook his head in annoyance. "We couldn't risk-."   
  
Suddenly the comm in his hand burst to life. A faint voice that sounded like Chiana's began to break through the noise. It grew quickly stronger.   
  
"Hey! Crichton, Crais! I need help!" The fear was evident in her voice. "Aeryn's not breathing."   
  
  
  
The sound of footsteps echoed off the metal walls and made its way into the command room. Jezik lifted his rifle and looked towards the source. He smiled when it came into view.   
  
"Did you get it?"   
  
Keller stepped out of the shadows and patted his uniform pocket lightly. A similarly wicked smile spread across his lips. His plan had worked. "I got it."   
  
The retrieval squad leader nodded triumphantly. Finally something had gone the way it was supposed to. They had the coordinates.   
  
"How far?"   
  
The peacekeeper tech/special ops man walked over to the nearest working control center and typed in a few commands. His expression grew only brighter. "A matter of solar days at most."   
  
Jezik motioned to Carr. "Send the message. We need to be picked up as soon as possible."   
  
Keller looked over at the two soldiers. "What are the arrangements?"   
  
"Captain Hallek is waiting just outside sensor range. He knows what to do."   
  
  
  
The cargo ship sat floating in space with a minimal amount of crew on board. It had been fortified over the cycles to be more than just a transportation vehicle. Its hull masked room after room, corridor after corridor of peacekeeper technology. At the moment, however, it was a bit more obvious than usual.   
  
A grappling station was situated between the cargo ship and the immense command carrier floating above it. The larger ship floated slightly above with a substantially more expansive crew.   
  
Lt. Braca was part of it. He walked quickly down the empty corridor towards the sound of voices up ahead. Slipping his ID card through the slot, he entered into the small room where his superior waited.   
  
The small metal table had been set up specifically for this occasion. Scorpius sat with a hand just barely touching his leather-covered chin. He was smiling.   
  
Across from the half-breed sat Hallek. The captain's face and chest were covered in dripping blood and small bits of displaced matter. He was dead. Surrounding his cold body was a group of faceless soldiers with pulse rifles aimed.   
  
"Sir?" Braca felt bile rise in his throat as he took in the scene.   
  
Scorpius looked up at him. "Quite unfortunate Lieutenant." He nodded towards the body.   
  
"I neglected to inform the good captain that his retirement had already been arranged."   
He stood up and began walking out into the hall. As Scorpius passed his subordinate, he spoke again. "Inform High Command that we will be more than happy to take on his responsibilities."   
  
Braca watched the monstrosity as it strolled away down the corridor. He turned once more to look at Hallek's remains and shook his head.   
  
"Yes sir."   
  
Neuroscpr 


	9. chapter 9

Fic: Walk It Off 9  
thanks to lucy for all the help  
  
Dying is a strange sensation. That much Aeryn remembered well. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you looked at it, the rest had become blurred as time passed. She lay now in as peaceful a state as she had known in all that time. Blankets covered her up to her neck, which rose and fell with each breath. Aeryn Sun was sleeping.  
  
"How is she Pip?"  
  
John stood watching the quiet figure from the room's narrow doorway. Parts of Talyn's structures were coming in more slowly than others. His eyes never strayed from her however. There was nowhere else for them to go.  
  
She watched him from inside with a troubled expression. Chiana had quickly realized with this sudden development that being Aeryn's confidant held certain uncomfortable responsibilities. Dealing with Crichton for one. Not that she minded so much. It was just awkward.  
  
"Looks like she'll be ok. I'm not Zhaan. I don't rea-."  
  
The human raised a hand to quiet her. "Thanks." He forced himself to look away from sleeping beauty and caught Chiana's worried expression. 'Yeah, I just compared Aeryn to a Disney character. You should be worried.'  
  
Chiana took a step towards him and then stopped abruptly. The Nebari liked to think she understood certain things about dealing with relationships. Then again, all her dealing had been in retrospect. "I'm sorry about this."  
  
John looked at her in surprise. "There was no way you could have known. Aeryn brought him here too." He put on a reassuring smile.  
  
"Quit it. You're about as happy as I am right now."  
  
It was way too easy to let the smile go. "You and me, Pip. Misery loves company."  
  
Chiana ignored the crack and hugged the one brother she still had with her. He responded in kind and they stood that way for a microt or two. Chiana leaned in close to whisper. "You should talk to her."  
  
John sighed. "I don't think she wants to."  
  
She pulled away slightly to look him in the eye. A new smile was forming. "Frell, she's asleep. I won't say anything."  
  
He felt more than commanded his head to lean forward in a nod. "Chiana, you're starting to scare me." She smiled at him and moved towards the door.  
  
John moved slowly across the room until he was standing above the ex-peacekeeper. He knelt down to face her. "Hey babe. How are you doing?"  
  
Aeryn frowned in her sleep but did not stir. Wherever she was, it must not have been much better than reality. John reached a hand forward and traced the a line softly across her cheek. It sent shivers through him with each passing moment. More than anything though, it hurt.   
  
"John?"  
  
Before he could do something, Aeryn's hand was grasping his. It felt warm to the touch. She smiled in that way that frelled him up so much and opened her eyes.  
  
"I didn't mean to wake you. Just wanted to look-."  
  
Aeryn shook her head. She didn't need an explanation.   
  
John watched in amazement as she pulled back the blankets and slid towards him. There was no doubt in his mind that Aeryn was going to kiss him. It was perhaps one of the most horrible moments of his life.  
  
Just as her lips reached the vicinity of his, a hand moved in between to block them. John took a step back and lowered his hand. He registered the look of confusion on Aeryn's face.   
  
"It's me Aeryn. It's Crichton."  
  
She blinked several times in succession until a look of realization crossed her face. Aeryn backed up onto the bed and frowned. "......Yes." The word came out as a whisper. She stood up quickly and checked herself. "What happened?"  
  
John rubbed his neck. "The peacekeeper guy. He knocked you out and got away."  
  
The frown didn't leave her face. "How long have I-?"  
  
"Not long."  
  
Aeryn straightened her clothing out and started for the door. She stopped abruptly and turned halfway around. Without looking directly at him, she spoke.  
  
"Thank you."  
  
John couldn't bring himself to look up either. "Don't mention it."   
  
He sat there quietly for a while as she disappeared down the corridor.  
  
  
  
Against her better judgement, Chiana had decided not to eavesdrop on the two inside. She made her way slowly down the corridor. 'Hey, If I just happen to hear something...' But there was no audible noise from Aeryn and John. She couldn't decide if that was good or bad.  
  
The corridor had turned eerily quiet as she walked. Each time her boot hit the ground a loud boom echoed off the walls. Chiana looked down at the floor and frowned.  
  
"Talyn, have I ever told you that you give me the creeps?"  
  
She half expected a reply from the leviathan hybrid. It was not a pleasant feeling.  
  
A chirping sound suddenly sprang up from somewhere up ahead. Something was moving quickly towards her.   
  
"Who's there?" Chiana closed her eyes for a microt in hope that she might catch something. No such luck.  
  
Finally the intruder made its entrance. A lone DRD rolled into view and stopped when it spotted her. A disconcerting shade of red, it appeared to be watching the Nebari.  
  
"What do you want?"  
  
It chirped again and moved slightly forward.   
  
The wave hit Chiana like a blow from Aeryn's fist. Her skin tingled with fear as the little robot thing came towards her. "Stay back!"  
  
She reached for the pulse pistol on her belt and found it gone. "Just my frelling luck." Looking to her left, Chiana saw a door. Escape was on her mind. She made a dash for it.  
  
The DRD watched this happen without any reaction. It continued to sit and chirp endlessly to itself.   
  
Chiana made it to the door and pushed it open with all her strength. She tried to remind herself that DRDs didn't hold grudges but it wasn't working. 'They're blaming me.' The idea pounded sickeningly in her head. Closing the door behind her, she turned around.  
  
The entire room was riddled with the mechanical creatures. DRDs covered the floor and hung silently from the walls and ceiling. Each watched her with non-existent eyes.  
  
"What the frell is this? A trap?" Chiana knew that it was before asking the question. It just sounded so absurd out loud.  
  
"Talyn! Crais?"  
  
The lights went out.  
  
  
  
"Sir."  
  
Jezik ignored him and continued bandaging up his legs. Blood was already seeping through the shreds of torn cloth.  
  
"Sir, please."  
  
Keller looked up from his station and frowned. There was something about that tone that he didn't like. It meant trouble and he's had enough of that already.  
  
"Sir! I've got some-."  
  
Carr froze in mid-sentence when he saw the gun pointed at him. He raised his hands in a weak gesture of submission. "Si-."  
  
A shot rang out and the wall beside him burst open with sparks. Carr breathed a sigh of relief once he realized it hadn't hit him.  
  
"Your yammering is making this very difficult, soldier." Jezik turned to stare at the subordinate with lifeless eyes. Much of his strength had left him in the past few hours. Injuries were taking their tolls.  
  
The peacekeeper tech watched the scene unfold with an eerie calmness. Keller considered that his partner might become a liability down the line. "Let him speak."  
  
Carr nodded graciously but neither man reciprocated the gesture. He quickly remembered what had started all of this in the first place. "There's a ship approaching, sirs."  
  
"That'll be Halleck." Keller stood up immediately. "We can get on our way."  
  
A hand went up timidly. Carr was suddenly very nervous about his health. "It's not Captain Halleck."  
  
Jezik stopped mending himself and joined the conversation. "Well, who is it then?"  
  
Carr looked him dead in the eyes. "It's a command carrier sir."  
  
Both Jezik and Keller stiffened. The tech was the first to regain composure. "Who is in command of that vessel?"  
  
Carr lifted a receiver up to his ear and heard the message repeat itself. "Scorpius, sir."  
  
Jezik's eyes widened as the name registered. "Impossible."  
  
"Apparently not." Keller rushed over to the sensor console and locked onto the approaching ship. There wasn't much time left until it arrived.  
  
The Retrieval Squad leader growled. "You know what he'll do." Images flashed through his mind as he spoke. Ugly ones.  
  
"I know what Scorpius is capable of." The tech frowned.   
  
"Not just capable of! He'll ruin everything. Trust me on that." Jezik was already hobbling towards the door. "We need to leave now."  
  
Keller reached for the gun on his belt but stopped short at the last minute. His partner was right this time. "Agreed. But someone has to stay and explain why we're not here."  
  
All eyes turned to Carr.   
  
"What?"  
  
  
  
Crais brought his hand up to the door control stand and froze. He turned his head from side to side and made sure no one was watching. This sort of situation took discretion. The ex-captain breathed a quiet sigh of relief and proceeded to wave his hand. The door opened.  
  
"Talyn?"  
  
At the sound of his name, the leviathan hybrid seemed to awaken with a start. The room's lights burst on and bathed it in an eerie glow. DRDs scampered about until they were all backed up against the walls. In the center of the room, a still figure lay.  
  
"Chiana? What are you doing in here?" Crais looked at the woman lying on the floor and shuddered. There were small marks up and down her arms that he couldn't identify. She was breathing though. That much he could tell.  
  
One gloved hand twitched and then the other followed it. The grey female appeared to shiver for a few moments before her eyes opened. She looked up at him and frowned. "It hurts."  
  
Bialar rushed over to her and knelt down. He put a hand on her shoulder but that seemed only to make her tense. Looking into her glassy eyes, he saw that something wasn't quite right.  
  
"What did you do?"  
  
Chiana sat up and smiled at him. Whatever had been wrong seemed to disappear from her face in that moment. The Nebari purred softly and looked down at herself before meeting Crais' questioning stare. "You can have this body if you like."  
  
As if by instinct, Crais pushed himself away from the woman until his back hit the wall. A creeping realization filled his mind then. "No Talyn. I don't think that would be right."  
  
Chiana smiled mischievously and nodded. "Yes, that would be a bit weird wouldn't it? You being my captain and all."   
  
She, or rather the ship that controlled her body, lifted a hand and stared at it. "You wouldn't believe this Crais." The black glove wiggled its fingers. "This body feels incredible." Chiana/Talyn leaned forward and her lips came within inches of his. "Definitely strange."  
  
Despite himself, Crais was a bit intrigued. Yet the realization of what was behind those black eyes brought it all back to him. He suddenly felt like bathing. "How did you-?"  
  
Before he could finish, she scampered backwards obediently. Chiana pulled her top up a short distance in a disturbingly seductive manner. A small black object protruded from the right side of her waist. "I wasn't sure if it would work."  
  
"A transponder?" Bialar stared at it in amazement. He would never have believed it possible. Or that Talyn would attempt it for that matter. "Why Talyn?"  
  
At the leviathan hybrid's command, Chiana grinned maliciously.  
  
  
  
"What are you doing?" The question echoed off the walls and came back to the human's ear unanswered.  
  
John ignored the way that Talyn's lights kept going on and off at different intervals and concentrated on the woman that was stealing his module.   
  
"I said, what are you doing?"  
  
Aeryn looked up from the small white pod and frowned. She'd been stuffing her bag of supplies into its rear when she heard the question. It was on a long list of ones that she did not want to answer at the moment. "I need a ship that is not leviathan based or armed with weapons."  
  
The human returned her frown. "I thought Talyn was going all the way. Blast the door down and stuff."  
  
She heard the words and a small gesture of amusement crossed her face. It didn't last long. "Can't risk using Talyn. An element of surprise would be best."  
  
"So you just decided to go ahead and take my module? Didn't think I'd mind?" Truth be told, John didn't. But hey, they were talking weren't they?  
  
The ex-peacekeeper began to turn away and then stopped herself. 'Don't.' The word repeated itself loudly in her head. Aeryn looked up again. "It maneuvers better near the ground. I thought you would understand."  
  
Crichton licked his lips and nodded. "Yeah, I remember." Bad memories weren't what he needed right now. Or ever for that matter.  
  
"That wasn't you!" The words were out of her mouth before Aeryn could stop herself. If that wasn't bad enough, the terse reply she was going for had somehow turned into a shout. The room grew silent after her outburst. Aeryn turned back to the ship and continued loading.  
  
John just stood there. He discovered that his hands were sweating soon after. It wasn't a good sensation.  
  
Feeling the eyes still on the back of her neck, Aeryn realized what she had said. Moving slowly and cautiously, she turned to face him. "I meant it was the clone. The Scorpius clone, not you."  
  
He nodded slightly but saw the pain etched across Aeryn's face. John would have loved to go all out with this but he knew it wasn't the time. 'Say something you idiot!'  
  
"So, you seen Chiana?"  
  
Aeryn was a bit more than surprised that he had changed the subject. She considered that this man knew her well enough by now. It was both comforting and not. "No, I have not."  
  
"I'll tell her you said bye before leaving." John managed a weak smile this time.  
  
The ex-peacekeeper tried for the same. "Alright."  
  
  
  
Scorpius surveyed the destruction around him and shook his head. 'Certainly High Command would not have charged such an important mission to fools'. He found himself losing faith in the system.  
  
"Sir. Our scans brought up no other survivors." Braca walked up behind the hybrid and passed it the handheld unit. His hand slipped quickly away as Scorpius took hold of it.  
  
Scorpius nodded in no particular direction. "Thank you lieutenant." He then turned to the soldier that sat quietly in front of him. The man had been watching him the entire time. A practice the hybrid had grown used to.  
  
"Carr is it?"  
  
The soldier nodded confidently. "That's correct sir. Please let me say it is an honor to finally meet you."  
  
Scorpius eyed him curiously. "An honor you say? And why is that?"  
  
Before Carr could answer, the superior of the two raised a hand. "Forget I asked. But please, would you mind explaining about these?" The hybrid pointed to the two bodies that lay at Carr's feet.  
  
Carr looked down at the corpses of Jezik and Keller with scorn. Pulse blasts had entered into each man's skull with precision accuracy. A testament to his years of careful training. Retrieval troops were created to be second to none. Especially schemers like those two.   
  
"They intended to subvert your command sir."  
  
Scorpius was intrigued. "Really? How so?"  
  
The soldier nodded several times in a manner which slightly annoyed both Scorpius and his lieutenant. "They planned to leave before you arrived and capture the quarry for themselves." Carr leaned in closer. "If I may say so sir, they did not think highly of you."  
  
Braca glanced over at his superior. "What shall I do with him sir?"  
  
Scorpius turned. "I admire this soldier's devotion to duty. But we can't abide the killing of two officers.  
  
The lieutenant smiled. "Understood sir.  
  
A single shot rang out.  
  
  
  
John watched silently as his precious module rose off the ground and headed out into space. He felt a small pang in his heart for the ship and its passenger. 'You'll see them again. Trust me.'   
  
"Don't try to cheer me up Harv." The voice went silent.  
  
The sound of footsteps came up behind him as he turned to leave. John looked towards the door and saw Crais and Chiana enter the room. Both had strange expressions on their faces. The ex-captain, in particular, made him feel slightly nervous.  
  
"Hey guys. What's up?" 


	10. chapter 10

Fic: Walk It Off 10  
thanks to lucy for her help  
  
The prison was a large black structure that contrasted sharply with the planet's lush green  
countryside. A round and sinister looking spot on the beautiful horizon. Standing at it's peak,  
two men observed something small and white in the sky.  
  
"What manner of craft is that?"  
  
Conroy took a cautionary glance out the window of his office and saw the small white ship in its  
entirety. "Looks like an escape pod to me."  
  
The guard shook his head lazily and shrugged. "It don't match any of our data, sir. Too old, I'd  
say."  
  
He narrowed his eyes at the subordinate. "So what are you telling me? You let an unknown,  
possibly hostile vessel pass right by our defense systems?" Conroy shook his head in disgust.   
They were low budget but this was ridiculous.  
  
"Sorry, sir. Our scanners are set to detect weapons or explosive devices." The guard took a step  
back. These arguments had proven fatal for others in the past. "Got right past us."  
  
Conroy reached for his gun, a heavy looking grey thing, but stopped abruptly. He nodded and  
considered that this guard was competent enough to keep around for a while. Without waiting  
for a reply, he swept out onto the tarmac.   
  
"Can you at least tell me what can kind of species we're looking at?"  
  
The guard moved hurriedly from behind. "Yes, yes. It's a Sebacean female."  
  
Warden Conroy stopped in his tracks and turned around slowly. His face had become an eerily  
accurate impersonation of a stone. "You frelling idiot."   
  
A shot rang out from the pulse cannon at his side. The guard had just crossed that line.   
  
"I hate Sebacean females."  
  
The unidentified craft came to a stop a few feet behind him. So small was it that barely any wind  
kicked up to clean the tarmac's rusted surface. Its fin-like wings shifted slightly in their place  
before coming to a stop. Conroy motioned for his time of shooters to keep ready.  
  
"Exit your craft. You will not have another warning."  
  
The module's roof slid open in one fluid motion and revealed the mysterious rider. A young  
woman, 'definitely Sebacean' Conroy observed, sat motionless in the seat. Her dark hair was  
mussed and cascaded down around her face in a way that seemed far too feminine. That face,  
however, showed no other signs of femininity. A pair of tired eyes in a completely expressionless  
face. Then, without warning, the arrival came to life.  
  
"Don't move!" Conroy shouted the words even as the female stood and jumped off the module's  
side. He raised his gun and aimed carefully. "Peacekeeper! I said don't-."  
  
"I am not a peacekeeper." The words emptied out of Aeryn Suns' mouth in such a way that no  
one dared question them.  
  
The group of guards remained trained on her at Conroy's command. He knew as well as they did  
that people like her didn't come to places like this without good reason.  
  
"A defector then. What do you want?" He took a step forward and observed that she didn't  
carry any weapons. That fact alone improved her case. No peacekeeper was ever too far away  
from her weapon.  
  
Aeryn seemed to understand what he was thinking and motioned towards the module. "One pulse  
rifle, one pistol. Black bag under the seat."  
  
Conroy nodded to the nearest guards and they moved to retrieve the items. The calmness of the  
situation was starting to make him uneasy.  
  
"I come on behalf of Bialar Crais." The ex-peacekeeper noticed the signs of recognition in her  
captor's eyes.  
  
The prison warden let his lips curl slightly into what could almost be a smile. "It's been quite a  
while since I've heard that name."  
  
Aeryn nodded. "But you know it, and the reason I have come," she said.  
  
Conroy frowned now. Despite his prejudice, something amused him about this woman. There  
was more to her than could be seen here.  
  
"The last time I spoke to Bialar, frell, that was almost two cycles ago. He was attempting to  
convince me that I was still required to take orders from a deposed captain."  
  
For the very first time, Aeryn showed a tiny crack in her steel glare. "You-."  
  
He raised a hand to stop her reply. Conroy needed no explanation for the captain's current status.   
Peacekeepers were good enough reason to hold on to what he had. They could send an armada if  
they wanted to. For an intelligent man, Conroy did have his petty grudges.  
  
"I can't do what you ask."  
  
Aeryn narrowed her eyes at him and returned the ugly frown. She felt cold steel from within the  
leather sleeve of the old coat she wore. "You will hand him over to me. I'm not asking."  
  
Conroy motioned towards his men as he saw her go for the hidden weapon. Yes, this woman was  
a mystery. And he hated killing mysteries before they were solved.  
  
  
  
John turned the valve one last time and the torrent of water came to a slow stop. He shivered a  
bit as the freezing liquid began dripping from his icy skin. 'Hell, Talyn. Learn some new tricks  
would ya.' Reaching for a towel, John considered how bad they could be.  
  
The lack of noise from the shower brought a new curiosity to his attention. A soft whirring sound  
was coming from outside. John slid the curtain aside carefully to see what it was.  
  
"What the hell are you doing here?"  
  
The DRD looked up at him and didn't even bother to respond with beeps. It just sat there and  
stared like a vacuum cleaner with the plug unhooked.  
  
John reached for his clothes and ducked quickly back behind the curtain. Moments like these  
made him wonder about what kind of education Crais was giving. "Shoo!"  
  
Fully dressed, he hopped out of the shower and looked at himself in the mirror. John wondered  
where the scratch on his left cheek had come from. He glanced down at the DRD. "How long  
have you been here?"  
  
It made no visible response.  
  
As he made his way out of the bathroom and into the hall, John began to see a disconcerting  
pattern. Another little red box sat waiting for him. This one beeped three times and then scurried  
off down the corridor.  
  
"Why do I think the word privacy means nothing to you guys?"   
  
The human shook his head and started off down the hall again. Before John could take two steps,  
a familiar purr reached his ears. "Pip, that you?"  
  
She stood in the middle of the hallway with arms placed firmly on hips. Her lips were curled into  
that trademark playful smile. Chiana walked forward until she was mere inches away from him.   
She shook her head. "It's me."  
  
John tried to respond but her hand was already under his shirt. He felt himself being pushed up  
against the wall as the Nebari moved in closer. "Hey, hold on a-."  
  
Chiana shook her head and punched him lightly in the stomach. "Don't squirm."  
  
He found himself extremely confused but unable to get free. John tried to push himself back but  
there was the wall to stop him. He felt her hands tickling against his ribs and he smiled  
involuntarily. But there was something very wrong about this.  
  
"Listen, I think I hear my mom-."  
  
The last two words were smothered as Chiana pressed her lips hard against his. It wasn't so  
much a kiss as an attempt at suffocation. John's eyes danced wildly around as his hands fought to  
push her back.  
  
"Crichton!"   
  
His name was the last thing he heard before Chiana disappeared from his sight. In her place stood  
Crais. The ex-captain held a chair from the dining room in his hand. Fresh Nebari blood stained  
its surface.  
  
"Can you please explain to me what the frell is going on!!?" John looked down at the woman on  
the ground and gasped. Her face was clenched into an absolutely horrifying look of anger.  
  
"You must trust me Crichton. Come now, before she gets up!" Crais motioned for him to follow  
and ran off in the opposite direction.  
  
John glanced down at Chiana again and shrugged. "Sorry Pip." He headed off after the man.  
  
After a few minutes of breathless running, Bialar ducked into one of the maintenance bays. "In  
here!"  
  
Gasping for air, John nodded and threw himself through the doorway. Immediately after he did  
so, the door slammed shut. A sense of despair suddenly fell over him as he took in his  
surroundings.  
  
One of the workstation tables had been cleared and placed in the middle of the room. A set of  
restraints and several pairs of tools now adorned it. Each one shone brilliantly in the room's harsh  
light. Standing just behind it, with a look that did not bring comfort, was Chiana. Her black eyes  
sparkled with malice.  
  
"I apologize for this Crichton." The ex-captain seemed apprehensive. "The plan was to gain your  
confidence and then lead you here." Crais nodded towards the woman in front of them. "Talyn's  
plan."  
  
John looked over at Chiana and sighed. He suddenly realized that the DRD's had all disappeared  
just as she arrived. Or was it he?  
  
"So, I'm betting you didn't lure me here to tell me what a great kisser I am."  
  
Chiana/Talyn shook her head and smiled.  
  
  
  
Conroy caught sight of the gun as it slid slowly out of Aeryn's sleeve. It was a pulse pistol, basic  
peacekeeper weapon. He shook his head. This would end badly.  
  
"You'll hand it to me now."  
  
She stared back at him angrily and shook her head. Aeryn knew there was no easy way out of  
this. But she had to try. "No."  
  
Four weapons, already trained on her, charged up and prepared to fire.   
  
Aeryn let her view roam past the warden in front of her. At the center of the tarmac they stood  
on a wide hole opened up. She could see nothing from where she stood. 'Why not?'  
  
"I won't ask again." Conroy glanced over at this men. They would know what to do.  
  
The gun flew from her hand in one swift motion and tumbled through the air. Surprised, he barely  
had time to reach for it. A solid catch and it was in his hands.  
  
"That's be-." The pulse pistol exploded in one fierce ball of light.   
  
Conroy gasped as pieces of bloody uniform slapped against his face. He looked down at the  
crater that had opened up in his chest and fell to the floor. Before the darkness overtook him, the  
warden saw Aeryn Sun run past his ruined body.  
  
The weapons fire started moments after the man's death. She ran forward and narrowly escaped  
being shot down. Aeryn did not dare look back as the remained of Conroy's body was torn to  
shreds. She sprinted across the tarmac's hard surface until the edge was right in front of her.  
  
'Do it!' Her mind screamed for her to jump but nothing else worked. Aeryn looked down into  
the abyss and saw tiny lights off in the distance. It wasn't going to work. A yellow blast of pulse  
fire soared past her head. She could smell burning hair.   
  
Aeryn jumped.  
  
  
  
"We shouldn't be doing this, Talyn."  
  
Crais sat off in the corner and watched as the new life-form in front of him went about her work.   
Droplets of blood squirted across his face as a response from the other.  
  
"This is wrong."  
  
Chiana/Talyn laughed at that. She watched the stream of blood as it poured from the incision she  
had made. True, there was some pain. But it was necessary. Before speaking, she dug the knife  
in deeper into her arm.  
  
"You don't get to decide that. It's because of you that this is all happening."   
  
She dropped the knife and picked some of the blood off with her fingers. It slid down onto her  
hand and Chiana smiled. "I learned all of this from you."  
  
John opened his eyes slowly as the sound of angry voices entered into his murky thoughts. He  
took the scene in front of him in and his mouth dropped open. "Oh God."  
  
She continued on. "The Nebari thought she was being noble. Coming here at the risk of her own  
life." She let the blood drip down onto the floor. "A mistake."  
  
"You son of a bitch! Talyn!" John fought to get up off the table but his arms and legs were  
restrained. He felt the anger swell up inside of him. It wasn't something he liked. "Let her go!"  
  
Crais stood up but said nothing.   
  
"I'm going to kill her Crichton. Then you." Chiana/Talyn plunged the knife into Chiana's  
stomach. "Just the three of us again."  
  
"Talyn!" Bialar moved forward but stopped when the knife came out and aimed itself at him.   
That was a step he wasn't willing to take.  
  
Talyn smiled with his host's lips and shook his head. "You taught me well." He moved a hand  
down to the waist and pulled out the black transponder.  
  
Chiana's body slumped to the ground.  
  
Crais leapt forward and ripped at Crichton's restraints. Without a word, he unloosed them and  
waited for the human to react.  
  
John slid off the table and dropped beside the wounded Nebari. "Why didn't you stop him?"  
  
"There was nothing I could do."  
  
He looked up at the ex-captain through hollow eyes. "There's always something!" John ran a  
hand through Chiana's tousled hair. His sight was blurred with tears.  
  
Chiana's black eyes opened slowly and looked up at the human above her. There was no sly  
smile, no amusement. Only pain. Her lips moved slightly.  
  
John leaned in close until his ear was right up against her mouth. Blood was already staining his  
shirt. "What is it? Come on Pip."  
  
There were tears in her eyes. "I don't want to die. It's not me."  
  
With those words, the strange calmness that had taken hold of him vanished. John wrapped his  
arms around Chiana's frail body and tried to pick her up. He spoke as he did this.  
  
"There's still a chance. We have to get to the medical supplies."  
  
Crais looked on in detachment. "My quarters. But Talyn will have DRDs on patrol in the  
hallways. We'll never make it in time."  
  
John ignored him. He managed to get Chiana up and moved towards the door. "We're going."  
Kicking the door open, the human moved out into the hall.  
  
The sound of a pulse weapon charging reached his ears. Crais raised his gun and followed. A  
strange new look in his eyes had taken over.   
  
"I'm afraid I can't let you do that."  
  
  
  
"You hear that?"  
  
The two soldiers looked up at the roof of their small guard station with eyes wide open. An  
indentation had been made in the thin metal that covered them. It was indistinguishable but large  
enough to be a person.  
  
"I heard it."  
  
Both of them jumped as a gash tore through the ceiling up above them. Through the darkness  
came a thin shaft of piercing light from above. Someone was moving up there and they were  
trying to get through.  
  
Aeryn wiped blood from her forehead and continued ripping away the roofing. Doubtless there  
were guards underneath. 'You'll need to kill them.'  
  
Without notice, her footing gave way and she crashed down into the darkness again. Aeryn  
landed on something soft. She looked down and saw the face of a man. He'd never even reached  
his gun.  
  
The pulse blast shot out of the darkness and landed just above Aeryn's head. Slipping out her  
own weapon, the ex-peacekeeper followed the trail that had been left behind. Picking her spot,  
Aeryn fired once and heard a grunt from somewhere ahead. A direct hit.  
  
"Bitch, you frelling shot me." The young soldier looked angrily up at her as she came into the  
light. His face changed quickly from anger to fear when he saw Aeryn's face. "You're not going  
to kill me are you?" It wasn't the peacekeeper thing to say but that was the last thing on his mind.  
He didn't want to die, not like this.  
  
Without a hint of emotion, Aeryn fired twice into his chest. She watched him jolt back against the  
floor and then lay still. His eyes glazed over and slid downward. The enemy was dead. She'd  
won. "Sorry." The word came out much colder than she had expected. It had been meant as a  
small gesture of remorse. Aeryn stepped over the body and continued on down the hall. Then  
something caught her attention.  
  
His eyes were blue. Not like John's and certainly without the warmth that came with him. That  
distinction seemed trivial at the moment. Face hardened, Aeryn forced herself to think about the  
task at hand. There would be reinforcements here soon. She couldn't allow herself to waste  
time. But his eyes were still blue.   
  
She knelt down beside the young man and stroked his cheek softly. The skin was cold. Of  
course, that was to be expected but it didn't make her feel any better. Aeryn holstered her pulse  
rifle. She'd murdered him. 'Why do I care?' She shut his eyelids and took away that sight which  
caused this scene in the first place. It changed nothing. Despite her best attempts, Aeryn  
remembered.  
  
-  
  
That was how she found herself in this situation. Sitting in a damp hallway with a dead  
peacekeeper soldier who used to have blue eyes. A rumbling sound came from above. The  
structure this place lay under was coming to life. There would be company soon and that meant  
trouble. It was time to go.  
  
Aeryn stood up and gave the dead soldier one last look. All of the sudden, he didn't seem so  
significant after all. Just another faceless addition to the list she kept adding up in her head. She  
turned away from him and looked down the hall. A single door was positioned directly ahead of  
her. It was the only cell on this floor.   
  
The ancient id machine beeped reassuringly as she passed her stolen keycard through it. A green  
light came on and was followed by several loud snapping sounds. The door was opening. Aeryn  
thought back to what had just happened. She couldn't help it really. 'Why am I here?'   
  
The ex-peacekeeper remembered leaving John behind. Then again, that wasn't the only reason.   
A lot had happened in between then and now. Things that had gotten her to this door that she'd  
rather not to share with anyone. Especially not with the person inside. "Time's up."  
  
It was pitch black and she had to strain her eyes to see him. The man sat limply against the back  
wall and muttered some vaguely familiar language to himself. Aeryn suddenly remembered what  
it was. The realization didn't make her feel any better. "Can you stand?"  
  
He shielded his eyes from the intruding light and said nothing. Aeryn positioned herself to block  
it out. She waited for a reply. The man finally looked up at her and his eyes went wide. "Aeryn  
Sun? I wasn't expecting you."  
  
That voice was still the one she remembered. Still the one that made the guilt rise up at night.   
"Yes, it's me." She watched in silence as he rose from his spot on the ground and walked  
towards her. Aeryn stood still as his hand reached out to touch her cheek. It got most of the way  
there. "Don't touch me."  
  
Something in his eyes quieted back down at her words. He must have recognized the coldness  
that everyone kept telling her about. That which protected her from new pain but not the  
memories. "I'm sorry. It's just that-."  
  
Aeryn rushed forward and slammed him against the wall. His eyes were still wide. "We have to  
leave now. Another guard will be here any microt." She searched for understanding in his face.   
The man nodded.   
  
"Good, now follow me." Aeryn led the way out. Somehow she knew making it back to Talyn  
would be a lot easier than what happened once she got there. 


	11. chapter 11

Fic: Walk It Off 11  
thanks to lucy for her lep  
  
Scorpius indulged in a strange kind of satisfaction as his command carrier stationed itself in orbit  
above the planet below. On the magnified view he could see prison guards scurrying about on the  
surface as if preparing for invasion. It pleased him to see that his ship blocked out most of the  
sunlight. The entire structure was bathed in darkness. 'The better to intimidate you with, my  
dear.' Now, where had he heard that?  
  
"Sir, we are in position."  
  
Braca entered from behind and passed the latest experiment data to his superior. The young  
lieutenant amused himself by remembering scientist's face. Another failure meant another day  
closer to death. Something he worried about as well from time to time.  
  
"Thank you Braca." The hybrid did not bother to face his underling. There were more important  
tasks to focus on. "Has there been any contact?"  
  
"We're attempting to signal them now, sir."  
  
Just as he spoke, one of the communication consoles burst to life. The signal was faint and the  
visage of a man came through in short gaps between the interference.  
  
"Yeah? What the frell do you want I've got enough problems without you frelling up my frelling  
sensor arrays." The long string of words barely made it through as static once again took over  
the line.  
  
Scorpius nodded towards the nearest technician. "Clear that up."  
  
The man's face instantly appeared clearly on the screen. He was Conroy's replacement and none  
too happy about it. "What the frell are you?"  
  
"My name is Scorpius. I am the commander of this peacekeeper vessel."  
  
Grey hairs slid onto the man's face as he spoke. The job was obviously not kind to him. "No,  
you're the one that's giving me a frelling headache. Get lost."  
  
Braca looked to his superior once before giving his own response. "This vessel can obliterate  
your entire building with the push of a button. I'd advise you to be more polite."  
  
The man turned his head towards the new voice. He couldn't actually see anyone but it seemed  
appropriate. "What do you want?"  
  
Scorpius allowed himself a small grin. "There are two individuals inside your prison which I  
require. If you extricate them for me, I will leave."  
  
"You mean the female!" The man, whose name was Raif, started to laugh. "You can't have her!"  
  
The line went dead.  
  
"Shall I attempt to reestablish contact, sir?" Braca stared questioningly at his superior.  
  
Scorpius narrowed his eyes. "No." He weighed his options carefully for a moment. "Prepare a  
warning shot."  
  
  
  
Aeryn's pistol was the first to see outside the door. Moving swiftly, she pushed the heavy steel  
away and entered into the shadowed hallway. A layer of dust from her recent escapade still  
lingered.  
  
"I can't see anything."  
  
Velorek stumbled blindly out of his former cell. His eyes burned as polluted air touched them for  
the first time in many years. 'Ah, freedom." He hoped it would last.  
  
She turned towards him slowly and frowned. "Try to keep up. I'd prefer to not to lose you."  
  
With those inspirational words to guide him, the ex-peacekeeper tech nodded and fell in line.   
Looking up, he saw a thin ray of light coming from above. "Aeryn?"  
  
"I'm thinking." Aeryn traced her hand across the black walls. It found what it was looking for.  
  
  
  
"Don't do this to me Pip. Just hang on a little bit more."   
  
John winced as he caught sight of the trail of blood they left behind. He felt the weight of  
Chiana's body over his shoulder and realized that his shirt was soaked through. "Oh God no."  
  
Her eyes were glassy and distant. The Nebari's mouth was frozen in a weak smile that stood out  
in its grim surroundings. Tiny breaths made it through her lips every few seconds. She was still  
alive for the moment.  
  
"Crichton! Stop!"  
  
The human ignored Crais' shouts as he made his way down the corridor. Pistol or no pistol, he  
wasn't going to let his friend down.  
  
"He'll kill you. I know he will." Bialar shook violently as he spoke. He wanted so desperately to  
help but the pain was enormous. "Then there won't be anyone left to help her!"  
  
John turned slightly. "I'll manage."  
  
Even as he spoke, the sound of speeding DRDs reached his ears. A pack of them was making its  
way down the hallway at high velocity. All had their weapons armed and ready to fire.  
  
The first blast hit John in the leg and sent him to the ground. With horror, he watched Chiana's  
body fly through the air and hit hard. She moaned softly in reply.  
  
"Crais! Help her you son a bitch!"   
  
Searching blindly with his hands, John found one of the DRDs and lifted it off the ground. He  
threw it with all his might and it slammed loudly against the wall. Pieces slid across the floor.  
  
Crais watched the scene quietly. There was no way Crichton would make it. That he knew for  
sure. 'But if you helped him?' He shook his head.   
  
John turned just in time to see the next DRD roll up to him. It faced him directly from mere  
inches away. The little gun was aimed right at his forehead. "No."  
  
A blast rang out and the little devil exploded.   
  
The ex-captain lowered his pistol and felt pain sear through his already damaged body. "Go  
Crichton!" Each word brought more pain. "My quarters. The medical supplies!"  
  
John forced himself up and ran to Chiana's side. He knelt down and felt for a pulse on the side of  
her neck. 'Is that where you check Nebaris?'  
  
"I'm not in the mood." Her voice was soft but the force behind it unmistakable. Chiana blinked  
her eyes.  
  
Despite himself, he started to laugh. "Don't you ever change on me Pip." He lifted her off the  
ground and ran off down the hall.  
  
  
  
"Shall I fire a ceiling shot sir?"  
  
Scorpius turned to his lieutenant and shook his head. He strolled slowly towards the nearest tech  
and motioned for him to do something that Braca could not see.  
  
"No. We will send concentrated fire to the signal source." The hybrid grinned maliciously. "I  
want no further arguments."  
  
Braca nodded his approval and reentered the parameters. "Firing now."  
  
The command carrier's frag cannons burst to life and positioned themselves in a direct path  
towards the prison below. A volley of shots rang out and fell towards the surface.  
  
Raif looked out his window and saw strange lights in the sky. They appeared to be heading  
straight towards him.  
  
"Ah f-"  
  
His new office atop the prison exploded in a brilliant flash of orange light. The entire building  
shook with the blast. There was nothing left of Conroy's replacement.  
  
"What now sir?" Braca stood up from his controls.  
  
Scorpius pressed his fingers together. "We wait."  
  
  
  
The tunnel shook with the force of the blast and sent debris crashing down on top of them. Aeryn  
gripped her purchase strongly but barely managed to hold on. She looked down at her prize and  
grimaced.  
  
"Aeryn, what's happening?" There was panic in Velorek's voice.   
  
She motioned for him to continue moving upward. Aeryn hadn't thought about her former  
lover's mental state. "Keep moving!" It would have to wait.  
  
Just then a large piece of loose metal came tumbling down from above. Its jagged edges sparked  
off the narrow walls as it went. The object struck Aeryn across the shoulder and tore her from  
her grip.  
  
"Aeryn!"  
  
Velorek watched the scene take place above him and his eyes went wide with shock. The  
amazement in seeing her again had clouded his thoughts up until that point. He wasn't himself.   
Not even close. That was about to change.  
  
She came barreling down past him without a word. Aeryn was nothing if not stubborn. She did  
not call for help.  
  
It came anyway. "I have you!" Velorek reached out and snatched the collar of her coat just as it  
passed his field of vision. The weight of the ex-peacekeeper almost took him down with her.   
Luckily, he was beginning to regain his strength.  
  
Aeryn felt her free-fall come up an abrupt stop as something took hold of her. She was instantly  
swinging to the side. The metal debris came down beside her and traced a gash down her right  
arm. Blood seeped out immediately. Crimson was the last thing she saw before hitting the wall  
with her head.  
  
  
  
John could hear them buzzing behind him as he ran. Up ahead, the door to Crais' cell was wide  
open and waiting for him. Obviously a trap. He sped up and made for it anyway.  
  
"Crichton!"  
  
The scream was the stuff that nightmares were made of. Chiana coughed violently from the effort  
and then collapsed further against her savior's body. The vision had been fleeting but she knew  
what lay beyond the door.  
  
"Don't argue with me Pip. I'm going in."  
  
He turned into the room and saw what she tried to warn him about. The room was riddled with  
DRDs. Every corner of the living space was crawling with them. The sound of charging  
mechanisms went off in unison.  
  
"Don't shoot!" Those were the only words that he could think of to say. John dropped onto his  
knees and placed Chiana down in front of him. He could feel hundreds of little eyes watching his  
every move. "Let me say something first."  
  
The ship rumbled at the sound of his request. Talyn was obviously not willing to negotiate on the  
matter.  
  
"I'll leave!" The words echoed loudly off the walls and suddenly everything stopped. Every  
DRD took a slide back. John breathed a sigh of relief. "We'll both leave."  
  
'Keep talking John.' He looked nervously around and tried to look as serious as possible. "Just  
let me fix her up and we'll leave. Won't bother you again."  
  
Talyn seemed to weigh this offer for a moment. He rumbled again.  
  
The DRDs came to life again and began to file out of the room. None paid any attention to the  
two souls on the floor.  
  
  
  
Velorek felt hot streaks of pain run down his arm from the weight. Through his watery eyes he  
could see Aeryn hanging unconscious below. It was his hand that was keeping her from death.   
'It would be that easy. Just let go.'  
  
He forced the thought away and began to pull with all this might. Using the hand against the wall,  
the ex-tech began to push himself up towards the surface again. Aeryn's lifeless body came up  
with him.  
  
His fingers practically melded themselves to the edge of the tunnel's roof. Velorek could feel  
sunlight stabbing at his eyes now. 'Just a bit more.'  
  
A sudden flash of light sent him down again slightly. Someone was firing at the prison. Having  
no patience for such things at this point, Velorek pressed on.  
  
Her eyes fluttered open and saw the darkness below. She was aware of a dull pain in her arm but  
even more of a presence above her. Aeryn looked up and saw the figure of a man pulling her up.   
It was him. 'Him.'  
  
Velorek pushed himself over the side and onto the prison's roof. Walking backwards, he  
managed to pry Aeryn up as well. Her eyes were open and staring but she said nothing.   
  
"We'll make it now." They seemed like the right words to say. Of course, he had nothing to  
back them up with. A quick search of his surroundings told him that Aeryn's ship had probably  
been destroyed.  
  
"Help me up."  
  
Aeryn ignored the wreckage around her and focused on the man. In the light of day, he looked so  
much different than she remembered. His eyes were ringed with black and withdrawn. The fit  
body of a soldier was replaced by a thin shadow of his former self. She felt responsible.  
  
Velorek did as she asked and pulled her up on her legs. "I think perhaps I should say thank you."  
  
She shook her head. "Please don't."  
  
The blinding light came back and caught their attention.  
  
"Frell," they said in unison.  
  
  
  
"I believe we have them sir."  
  
Scorpius glanced up at his lieutenant with a look of reserved hope. "Is it Crichton?"  
  
Braca magnified the image he was receiving and frowned. There were indeed two figures  
standing on the prison roof. Both were instantly recognizable to him. "I'm sorry sir, no."  
  
The hybrid growled and stalked over to the console. He peered at the screen and a sudden wave  
of amusement hit him. It was not the human, but perhaps the next best thing.  
  
"I want all scans redirected."  
  
"Sir?"  
  
Scorpius sighed. He sometimes despised having to explain each and every facet of his plans. "We  
have the tech. It seems quite likely that the leviathan will be nearby."  
  
Braca nodded and motioned for the various techs in the room to make the proper adjustments.   
He took another look at the screen and shook his head. "Velorek himself."  
  
"Yes, lieutenant." His mind raced with the possibilities. "Quite a gift for our benefactors."   
  
Scorpius tapped the young man's shoulder and turned to leave. "Have a marauder pick them up  
immediately.  
  
  
  
John hoped his quick prayer had been enough. He removed his hand from the bandage and took a  
step back. The bleeding had been contained.  
  
"How does it look?"  
  
Chiana was wide awake now. Thanks to the miracle of timing and peacekeeper anesthetics, she  
was doing much better.  
  
"Like you've been stabbed." He winked at her. "But otherwise not bad."  
  
The Nebari wriggled slightly on the bed. Her head was clouded by the drugs but other sights  
were still working.  
  
"I knew I wasn't the one. I told you."  
  
John watched her carefully and smiled. He hoped to God she was right about that. 'I can't lose  
her.'  
  
Chiana smiled at him. "Don't look at me like that."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
She narrowed her eyes at him now. "Like I'm a child."  
  
John couldn't help smiling at that. "That's not a word I'd use to-"  
  
The look that passed over Chiana's face made him stop. She was staring past him at the  
doorway. There was a lot going on behind those eyes that he couldn't see.  
  
Crais stood at the entrance to his room with a grim expression on his face. He'd been relieved of  
his torture only moments before. There was business to attend to.  
  
"What is it Crais?" John spoke first.  
  
The ex-captain nodded. "The situation has changed. Talyn no longer wishes for you to leave."  
  
The human was immediately angry. "You tell that son of a bitch that-"  
  
Chiana placed a gloved hand on his shoulder. "Peacekeepers. They're coming aren't they?"  
  
Bialar's expression did not change. If it had, his face would have shown fear. His ship was  
playing its own game now.  
  
"Talyn received a coded message from Scorpius a short time ago. I was not allowed to see it."  
  
John stood up and walked towards the man. They were standing barely a foot apart when he  
stopped. He almost whispered the words. "What did it say?"  
  
"Scorpius offered Talyn a deal. I am not privy to the specifics."   
  
A DRD rolled up and stopped in between Crais' feet.  
  
"Talyn has accepted." 


	12. chapter 12

"This is most gratifying."  
  
Scorpius leaned back in his seat as the marauder exited the command carrier's massive hangar. The ride became bumpy for a moment before regaining its smooth trajectory. Up ahead of the ship, another just like it flew towards the leviathan off in the distance.  
  
The hybrid turned to the two passengers that sat beside him and smiled. Two ex-peacekeepers that high command would have loved to get their hands on. 'How unfortunate for them.' There were more important tasks to be completed. His tasks.  
  
"How far to the leviathan captain?"  
  
The ship's pilot turned to acknowledge the question. His own look was far grimmer. "About a quarter arn, sir."  
  
Scorpius shook his head. "Thank you very much."  
  
He admired the stoic facade that Aeryn Sun put up. There were, of course, many things going on behind those eyes. Though what, he could not tell.  
  
Aeryn noticed his eyes on her and scowled. It disgusted her to even consider what the abomination was thinking. She had enough trouble trying to figure out what was going on. 'Why is he taking us to Talyn?'  
  
As if on cue, the hybrid answered. "Do not worry Officer Sun. You will not be harmed."  
  
"I don't believe you."  
  
Scorpius grinned. "No, I'm sure you don't. Nevertheless, it has never been my intention to harm you." His eyes sparkled as he spoke. "I only want John Crichton."  
  
Velorek sat quietly in the corner as they spoke. He did not know who John Crichton was, or why Aeryn was mixed up in any business with Scorpius. A man he had heard of but never met. There was nothing to do but wait.  
  
"Whatever arrangement Crais offered you, it will not work." Aeryn faced down the monstrosity with resolve. She was tired and very angry at her life at the moment. Being an "Ice queen,"as John put it, was beyond her grasp.  
  
Scorpius was enjoying himself now. "How interesting that you jump to that conclusion." He stole a glance at the ex-tech beside Officer Sun. "I have no deal with Bialar Crais."  
  
Aeryn stiffened. She was suddenly in the dark and not happy about it. "Then who?"  
  
He was only too happy to answer her. "My deal is with the leviathan hybrid you call Talyn."  
  
Scorpius nodded toward Velorek. "The mind he needs for the mind I need."  
  
Aeryn Sun turned away from her captor and closed her eyes. She did not like being afraid.  
  
  
  
"We'll find another way!"  
  
Chiana tried to raise herself off the bed but just fell back again. The pain in her side was growing and becoming almost impossible to bear.  
  
"Crichton, listen to me!" She closed her eyes and waited for a vision. Anything that would help them out of this situation. None came.  
  
John watched her and his own pain grew a bit as well. He'd been so glad to see her ok after what had happened. 'I never thought it would be me.'  
  
"No way around it Pip. Talyn says I gotta go, then I gotta go."  
  
Chiana shook her head. "What about stopping Scorpius? You said we were gonna go after him."  
  
He nodded softly and took her hand. "Don't you worry about me. I don't plan on going down without a fight."  
  
She looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "Promise me I'll see you again."  
  
John pulled her close to him in an embrace that he didn't want to end. Whispering in her ear he said, "You're the one with the visions. You tell me."  
  
Letting go, John turned to face the silent man behind him. "Lead the way boss."  
  
Crais stood beside the door and looked sorrowfully down at the floor. He hated himself at that moment to a level that even Talyn took notice. It didn't make any difference.  
  
The DRDs that had been sitting outside began to file into the room. Their glowing eyes looked up at Crichton and they chirped.  
  
"Tell them something good for me Chiana." John smiled to her one last time and then passed out into the hallway. Then he was gone.  
  
Bialar watched the human and his entourage go but did not follow. Instead, he turned to the young female on the bed.  
  
Chiana wiped the tears from her eyes. She looked up at Crais and nodded. "I know."  
  
He waved towards the door. "Shall we then?"  
  
"You'll have to help me up. I feel like dren." She extended her arm out to him.  
  
  
  
John stood just outside the hangar with his hands hanging limply at his sides. The DRDs were no longer with him but he knew they were close by. Chirping could still be heard from not too far away. 'How reassuring.'  
  
Standing there in the darkness, he began to take notice of the room around him. Saw things he had never taken the time to look at before. There was a clamshell in there.  
  
"Hey Talyn."  
  
The clamshell burst to life and the image of Crais appeared. The only face that Talyn could claim as his own.  
  
"They'll be arriving shortly." The look in the ex-captain's eyes was hollow. Nothing behind them.  
  
John shrugged. "So you tell me." He scratched the spot behind his left ear that always gave him trouble. "Damn itch."  
  
"Itch?"  
  
The human looked up at the clamshell. "Nope. I don't do small-talk with people who try to kill me."  
  
Talyn ignored the comment. Something more important came to his attention. "They're here."  
  
John watched silently as two marauders appeared from around a corner of the massive hangar. One flew right behind the other as they went. Both landed quickly.  
  
"Don't move!"  
  
The shout came from several different mouths as a four soldiers dropped out of the marauder's bottom. Each held nasty looking weapons in their hands and frowns on their faces.  
  
The second marauder's door burst open and two figures marched out. Both had their hands up in the air.  
  
Scorpius stepped out next. He surveyed the scene in front of him. Specifically, he looked at Crichton. The human's face was battered and bruised. Blood stained his shirt. "It appears Talyn is true to his word."  
  
He motioned for Aeryn and Velorek to walk forward.  
  
Aeryn kept her hands above her head as she walked. Her eyes met Crichton's in a questioning stare. 'Could this be part of a plan?' Judging from his appearance, she didn't think so.  
  
"John Crichton, you are now in my custody." Scorpius walked up beside the soldiers. He nodded. "Shoot the other two if he attempts to flee."  
  
The image of Crais turned towards the two now entering from his hangar. "Aeryn, come inside now."  
  
She found the words quite chilling. For the tone if not the message. Nudging Velorek, she continued forward.  
  
"It's time for my part of the deal, Talyn." Scorpius watched the image cautiously. Just seeing the ex-captain's face made him think of treachery. "Crichton!"  
  
John took a step forward and then stopped. 'This ain't just your ass on the line, man.' He started moving again.  
  
A high-pitched, screeching sound suddenly tore through the inner and outer hangar. Talyn's image disappeared from the clamshell with one final word. "Move!"  
  
Aeryn threw herself forward and barreled into Velorek's back. The two of them went crashing to the floor just as the heavy hangar door slammed shut behind them.  
  
The opposing forces were now cut off from each other.  
  
  
  
"What the hell just happened?" John stared, dumbfounded, at the door that now stood in place. It had never entered his mind that Talyn might have been fooling everyone all along.  
  
Aeryn ran up to him. "Are you hurt?"  
  
He checked himself over by reflex. "No, you?"  
  
She shook her head and turned around to grab Velorek. The ex-tech looked at her with a bewildered expression. Aeryn didn't really know what to tell him.  
  
"This is Talyn?"  
  
Aeryn nodded and then turned back to Crichton. "Get him somewhere safe." Her shook more than she would have liked but there was still too much uncertainty. The danger was not over yet.  
  
"And where the frell are you going to be?" John took hold of the man he'd only heard about as Aeryn let go. His first impression wasn't a great one.  
  
Aeryn was already heading out of the room. "In command. I have to speak with Talyn directly!"  
  
With that, she was out the door and the two of them were alone.  
  
"So, you're Velorek huh?"  
  
The man looked up at Crichton and nodded his head. "Apparently."  
  
"Great. Welcome to my nightmare." John let go of his arm slowly and then turned towards the exit opposite Aeryn's.  
  
"Follow me."  
  
Velorek stared at the man that Aeryn had just intrusted him to. Years of his life had been taken away and his health had suffered, but his perception was not impaired. The former peacekeeper saw what had gone between them.  
  
"She's everything I knew she could be, isn't she?  
  
The question seemed a bit more than odd in the current situation but John couldn't help himself. He knew the history and it was plenty distracting.  
  
"More."  
  
Just as he spoke, a new sound echoed through the room. Crais walked in with his pistol aimed in front of him. His expression had not changed. "Don't move."  
  
Velorek's face lit up in surprise. The kind of surprise no one wants. "Captain Crais?"  
  
The pull of history had an effect on the ex-captain as well. He frowned as he locked eyes with his former technical officer. "It is a long story that I do not wish to tell." Crais motioned with his pistol. "This way, both of you."  
  
  
  
"Sir, should we attempt to blast through?"  
  
Scorpius growled angrily and grabbed the soldier by the throat. Saliva sprayed from his gaping mouth as he spoke.  
  
"It's a leviathan! You can't blast through!"  
  
He dropped the squirming figure and turned towards the marauders. "You'll die for this, Talyn. I'll see to it personally."  
  
"Please, do not be so quick to judge me."  
  
All eyes turned to the small video screen on the wall. No one had noticed it up until that point. This time there was no image of Crais. Only static.  
  
"Would you care to explain why I am trapped in a hangar?" Scorpius could feel the heat rising in his head.  
  
Talyn answered curtly. "You may leave at any time if you disagree with my methods."  
  
"I will not leave! Not until I have Crichton!"  
  
There was a momentary silence before the answer. "I kept you here to ensure that I received my part of the agreement. Once I am certain that no one can interfere, I will allow you to enter and capture Crichton." The screen went blank.  
  
Scorpius growled through his teeth. To be completely honest, he had considered double crossing the leviathan hybrid. Velorek would still make a helpful gift to the Council. 'Ah well. It's not over yet.'  
  
He grabbed the nearest soldier by the arm. "Put a signal through to the command carrier."  
  
  
  
The door to command swung open as Aeryn reached it. She went for her weapon and then realized that it was in storage at the command carrier. There was no other choice but to go in blind.  
  
"Talyn? Can you hear me?"  
  
She stepped slowly into the room and surveyed the scene in front of her. The lights were all off except for the red instrument panels. Those still glowed eerily in the darkness. Up above, Aeryn noticed that the auto-guns were all lowered.  
  
The neural center on the ceiling hummed loudly as she entered. Talyn was there with her.  
  
"Listen to me Talyn. Whatever happened here, it can still be put right." Aeryn raised her hands to show that she was unarmed. "You can stop this if you want to."  
  
The hum became louder and then stopped altogether. Auto-guns remained online and aimed. Talyn was not interested in stopping things.  
  
"You can't reason with him. Not this time."  
  
Much to Aeryn's surprise, Chiana stepped out of the darkness. The limp was evident with each move but she continued on bravely. Her bandages remained tight.  
  
"Chiana? What happened? Who did that to you?" Aeryn was by her side in a second. Her arms were around the Nebari and supporting her.  
  
Chiana looked up at the ceiling. "It was Talyn. He tried to kill me." Despite the severity of her words, she was smiling.  
  
Aeryn didn't understand. "Talyn did this to you?"  
  
She nodded. "But don't worry. I'm not the one."  
  
Before Aeryn could even begin to understand what that meant, Talyn began to hum again. As the two women looked on, the middle section of the room started to move.  
  
"We're supposed to get on." Chiana took Aeryn's arm and led her to the circular elevator.  
  
With both of them on, it descended into the darkness below.  
  
  
  
The cell door slammed shut in Crichton's face. He frowned as the reality of the situation dawned on him. Talyn hadn't been playing on their side after all. This was still part of his sick plan.  
  
"I'm sorry about this Crichton." Crais turned the locking mechanism and then stepped away. "I hope you believe that I do not do this of my own accord."  
  
John had to fight hard to keep from attacking the bars. He wanted very much to frell up the man in front of him. "Sure, Crais. Whatever you say."  
  
He fumed in silence as the ex-captain led Velorek off down the hall. The tech looked back at him with eyes full of concern. "I hear ya buddy."  
  
They disappeared around a corner.  
  
"Think damn it!" John gripped the bars with his blood encrusted fingers and leaned his forehead against the cold metal. There had to be some way out of this. "Think you-."  
  
A loud roar came suddenly from somewhere outside. Whatever it was, it couldn't be good. John dove for the ground and covered his ears.  
  
In the space surrounding Talyn, the command carrier had moved within range. Acting on orders from Scorpius, it fired a light immobilizing pulse at the leviathan. The results were a bit more than light.  
  
Talyn's entire structure shook violently from the blast. Conduits exploded up and down the hallways sending sparks flying through the air. Several tiers were opened to space and more than one fire broke out somewhere in the ship.  
  
Once the shaking stopped, John took a quick peek from his duck and cover spot on the floor. A smile actually formed when he saw what had happened. The locking mechanism had been fried and the cell door stood wide open.  
  
Standing up, he headed quickly out. The sound of gunshots came echoing down the hallway and reached his ringing ears.  
  
"Holy hell, what now?" John took off running.  
  
  
  
"I said minimum power you idiot!"  
  
Scorpius yelled angrily into his comm. He was not pleased with the devastation that now surrounded him. "Crichton or I could have died! You would not want to be the cause of that."  
  
Braca's voice came back weakly from the other end. "I understand, sir. My apologies."  
  
The hybrid was about to begin yelling again when he felt a tap on his shoulder. "What is it now?"  
  
His eyes lit up when he saw what the soldier was pointing to. The hangar door had opened.  
  
"Thank you Braca. That will be all." Scorpius tucked away the comm and motioned for his soldiers to proceed.  
  
The group of five moved cautiously into the leviathan with guns drawn. Scorpius strolled alone behind the soldiers with a pistol tucked between his gloved hands. Things were looking up.  
  
"What are you going to do to me?"  
  
The words caused every one of them to stop dead in their tracks. Someone, two people actually, were coming towards them at great speed.  
  
Scorpius raised his gun slightly. "Caution gentlemen."  
  
Velorek, a gun at his neck, marched into the room and froze. He'd seen enough of the ship to know that he didn't want to be aboard. Now things just seemed to be getting worse. Behind him, Crais stopped as well.  
  
"Seize them. Take their weapons."  
  
The hybrid watched with amusement as his men surrounded the two former peacekeepers. "It appears that the balance of power has changed."  
  
One of the soldiers smacked Crais across the cheek with the muzzle of his rifle. "On your knees traitor."  
  
Scorpius shook his head in disapproval. "No shooting!"  
  
He did not notice the lone DRD roll into the room. It moved stealthily across the metal floor until it sat between the legs of peacekeeper soldiers. A shot rang from its tiny weapon.  
  
The one shot turned into many as the soldiers began firing wildly in confusion. As they did this, dozens of DRDs converged into the room from different corners. Shouts of pain and vision impairing smoke filled the air.  
  
John came running into the room just as the shooting stopped. His eyes burned from the smoke and he had to keep his distance.  
  
"Crais! Velorek!" His calls received no answer.  
  
Moving quickly, the human threw himself into the mist and began searching through the bodies and machine pieces. Two things quickly became apparent. Velorek was gone and Crais was badly injured.  
  
"Crichton, I'm here."  
  
Bialar lay face up on the floor with a grimace of pain on his face. Blood seeped from several wounds in his arms and legs. His face was ashen.  
  
"What the hell happened?" John was by his side in a microt. The memories of recent betrayal suddenly forgotten.  
  
The ex-captain coughed as he tried to speak. "Scorpius. He attacked us - the DRDs - Velorek taken."  
  
John tried to raise him up but the man howled in pain. "I'll get the medical supplies. Just wait a second."  
  
Crais managed to lift his hand up and grab John's shirt. It was a limp hold. "No. You must stop Talyn. I no longer matter." His eyes opened and closed revealing a glassy stare. "Go now, before Talyn gets worse."  
  
Nodding slightly, Crichton stood and backed away from the man he had never fully trusted. He suddenly remembered that Aeryn had gone to command. Without another word, he left the room.  
  
  
  
"Frell. What is this place?"  
  
Chiana stepped off the platform and looked around. She hadn't seen this place.  
  
"What? No vision?" Aeryn came up from behind and steadied the younger woman. She still couldn't believe that Talyn would do such a thing. But it was sinking in fast.  
  
She looked at the ex-peacekeeper and scowled. "It doesn't always work the way you want it to." Chiana ran her free hand along the lone console in the room. "You still didn't answer my question."  
  
Aeryn shook her head. "I don't know."  
  
"Of course you do. You just don't want to see it for what it is."  
  
The male voice made them both jump. Velorek dropped down from above with a thin smile on his face. His black hair was tousled but otherwise he looked much different from the man Aeryn had rescued.  
  
Chiana was the first to notice the transponder on the back of his neck. "It's not him, Aeryn." She took a step back. "It's Talyn."  
  
Velorek nodded playfully. "I'll be all grown up soon."  
  
Aeryn lifted a hand to his shoulder. She didn't want to seem hostile. "What do you mean, Talyn?"  
  
He motioned for her to watch him. "This is the place they never told me about. The place where I become a man." Velorek began to work on the controls. The entire ship vibrated in response. "See, I feel stronger."  
  
With a simple look at the wall, auto-guns slid out and aimed themselves at Chiana. Talyn suddenly grew serious. "It'll be just us from now on. The way it's supposed to be."  
  
The auto-guns began to charge.  
  
Aeryn waited until he wasn't paying attention and then pushed herself in front of Chiana. Her body now blocked the Nebari from the guns. "I won't let you hurt them, Talyn."  
  
At those words, Velorek's face twisted in anger. "No," Talyn roared. "Why must you always put them before me?!"  
  
  
  
The door to command was closed when John reached it. Luckily, the security control had not yet come back online. He was able to push it open and step into the room. Four auto-guns waited for him on the other side.  
  
"Wow, Talyn. Hold on a sec."  
  
The guns aimed at him but did not fire. From below, Talyn waited for the inevitable attempt at negotiation.  
  
John tactic was somewhat different. "Hey man, if want to start your own little Greek tragedy here, be my guest. But I don't think Crais and Aeryn are going to like it."  
  
He took a step forward and the guns followed. "Killing your dad and marrying your mom. Well, it's a little weird."  
  
The auto-guns fired but John was already moving. He reached the hole in the floor and pushed himself over the edge. A pulse blast grazed his leg as he went.  
  
"Frell!"  
  
The human landed roughly on the floor below. Much to the astonishment of the three others in the room.  
  
"John?" Aeryn went for him but was caught savagely from behind. Talyn's grip was holding her back.  
  
"You see! It's always about him." Talyn pulled Aeryn back until she stood beside him. He then had the auto guns re-align themselves. Now John and Chiana were both targets.  
  
"You love him, you can't live without him! And I'm expendable."  
  
John raised his hands above his head. "I think you need to be caught up on current even-."  
  
"- Shut up!" Talyn had stopped working entirely now. His full attention was on the new arrivals.  
  
"Don't do this Talyn. Just let them go." Aeryn tried once more to calm him.  
  
Velorek/Talyn turned to look at her. "Alright Aeryn. Just as you say." He pointed at the other two. "Agree to stay willingly and I'll let them go. With the condition that they are not to return."  
  
He grinned maliciously. "Otherwise I kill them both right now."  
  
Aeryn and John's eyes met. He shook his head repeatedly and mouthed, "Don't do it."  
  
"Let them go Talyn. I will stay with you." Aeryn looked away from the human and moved closer to Velorek's side.  
  
John kept shaking his head, unable to speak. Finally a single word escaped his lips. "Why?" It was addressed to Aeryn.  
  
She couldn't bear to look at him until he asked. Aeryn knew what he was insinuating. It made her angry. "Don't John! Don't make this about you and me! Not now!"  
  
  
  
Another pair of legs made it to command. They were bloodied and being dragged across the floor. Crais had little strength left but he had managed to get this far. It couldn't end now.  
  
Just as he entered, his transponder told him that one of the marauders had left the hangar. Crais looked up at the forward portal in time to see it.  
  
The command carrier stood out garishly in space. Its massive surface was covered by hundreds of smaller craft that swarmed around it like flies. Scorpius' marauder made for the monstrosity at top speed. Obviously hoping to escape Talyn's weapons. There was no need to worry.  
  
Crais knew it would not take long for the hybrid to seek retribution. He knew what he had to do. Dragging himself forward, he made it to the manual control console.  
  
Down below, Talyn was suddenly taken out of the situation. "Starburst?"  
  
The entire ship lurched forward as the black cloud of starburst washed over it. As sensors on the command carrier watched, Talyn's actual form disappeared from the scene without a trace.  
  
Aeryn, John, and Chiana watched silently as Velorek/Talyn came back to the situation. His face was twisted in anger. "No more." He looked at Aeryn. "I will decide for you."  
  
The auto guns charged and locked onto their targets.  
  
Chiana stepped out from behind John and grabbed Aeryn's hand. She now stood between the ex-peacekeeper and the crazed Talyn. The look of peace on her face would have rivaled Zhaan's.  
  
"Pip, what are you doing?" John tried to pull her back but she waved him off.  
  
Her eyes moved back to Talyn. "I'm not afraid anymore."  
  
Talyn sneered and all the guns pointed towards her. "And why not?"  
  
Chiana smiled. "Because it's you. You're the one."  
  
Up above, Crais closed his eyes. "Forgive me Talyn." He pulled down on the two levers simultaneously.  
  
Velorek/Talyn's head jerked back and he collapsed to the floor. Everything but the life support systems went dead.  
  
  
  
John sat on the crate and watched silently as she finished loading supplies into the second marauder. There hadn't been anyone left to retrieve it and Aeryn was going to put it to good use.  
  
She looked up and caught him staring. John wasn't sure if her reaction was good, bad, or something else entirely. He stood up and walked over.  
  
"How's he doing?"  
  
Aeryn turned and glanced at the marauder. "It has been difficult for him but he will be alright." They'd loaded Velorek into the marauder on a stretcher. The former tech hadn't taken too well to being one with Talyn.  
  
John nodded. The fallout from Talyn's going over the edge party was still being felt by everyone. Himself included. He rubbed the sore spot on his leg. "Crais was doing better when I left him. Think I got the bleeding stopped for real this time."  
  
She couldn't help from averting her eyes each time he tried to meet them. "And Talyn?"  
  
The human shook his head. "Crais says we can bring him back. But it's not going to be the same. Talyn's gone." John was surprised to find that the thought actually saddened him.  
  
A shout came from the marauder behind them. "Aeryn!" Chiana stood beside the peacekeeper ship with her hands on her hips. It looked like her old spirit was back in full force.  
  
Aeryn gave a nod in understanding and then turned back to John. "Chiana and I are going to take him somewhere safe. Where he can be taken care of."  
  
John forced a half-smile. "That's good."  
  
She sighed. "You can come with us if you want."  
  
The words made Crichton smile broadly. "No thanks. I have a lot of work to do here. Scorpy's still out there."  
  
Aeryn looked relieved but said nothing. She turned and headed back towards the marauder.  
  
John watched her go with a strange feeling of contentment. 'She's coming back.' 


End file.
